On Cultural Identity Pursuit in Invisible Man
Abstract
With the rapid development of the globalization，more and more people lost their identities. Scholars at home and abroad express their views about how people in literature get their true identities. Based on the relationship between culture and true identity, this thesis explores the process of the protagonist’s cultural identity pursuit in the famous Afro-American writer Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. The protagonist’s journey of pursuit can be divided into three phases: bewilderment, awakening and epiphany periods. The protagonist’s bewilderment and his exclusion of his black culture lead to his bewilderment of his true identity. After realizing the charm of the black culture, the protagonist starts to seek for the true identity soon. At last he accepts his black culture and gradually accepts his true identity by embracing the traditional culture. The protagonist’s pursuit proves that only with the correct attitude towards their culture and rooting in the culture and tradition, can the minorities get confidence, freedom, courage and love and then get their true identities in the main stream society or in the multicultural environment.
Key Words: Invisible Man; cultural identity; bewilderment; awakening; acceptance
摘 要
在全球化的影響下，越來越多的人在多元文化環境中失去了自己的真實身份。本文試圖從文化與身份的關係入手，探討美國著名黑人作家拉爾夫•艾里森的小說《看不見的人》中無名主人公文化身份認同的困惑、醒悟和頓悟3個階段。最初無名主人公對黑人文化傳統的困惑和排斥導致了他對自己的身份的`困惑。當他逐漸意識到黑人文化的魅力後，他開始走向文化身份認同之路。最後他接受並融入到黑人文化中並獲得他是1個看不見的黑人的真實身份。無名主人公的文化身份認同過程表明：只有接受並融入到自己的民族文化中，弱勢文化羣體才能在強勢文化主導的社會或多元文化環境中獲取民族自信、自由、勇氣和愛從而獲得自己的真實身份。
關鍵詞：《看不見的人》、文化身份、迷茫、醒悟、接受