The Construction Of Susanna Moodie's Canadian Identity In Roughing It In The Bush

Autobiographical novel Roughing it in the Bush records Susanna Moodie's immigrant experience.During the process of immigration,Moodie is ambivalent and she has a love and hate emotions with Canada.Moodie praises the Canadian landscape but accuses it of threatening her survival.She persists in her maternal culture but actively devotes herself to adapting to the Canadian multi-cultural environment.She claims to be an ardent Canadian patriot while all the time she is standing back from the country and criticizing it as though she is a detached observer.Through negotiation with Canadian natural environment and other ethnic groups,Moodie lays herself in the“ Third Space” which is put forward by Homi Bhabha and survives between her maternal culture and Canadian multi-cultural background.Ultimately,Moodie becomes the Canadian prototype and she always tries to keep a balance among the various conflicts.This dissertation includes five parts.Introduction briefly introduces Susanna Moodie and her representative work Roughing it in the Bush,and research status at home and abroad.In addition,the research perspective of this dissertation is included in this part.Chapter One first puts forward the role of “nature” in constructing Moodie's Canadian identity.Through negotiating with nature,Moodie presents the spirit of survival.Chapter Two discusses the impacts of heterogeneous cultures on constructing Moodie's Canadian identity.Through cultural negotiating with other ethnic groups,Moodie shows the spirit of inclusiveness.Chapter Three focuses on applying the theory of “the Third Space” put forward by Homi Bhabha to explore the features of hybridity and uncertainty which are shown during the process of constructing Mooide's Canadian identity in Roughing it in the Bush.The last part is conclusion.To explain the reasons that early Canadian immigrants are confused about their identities,through analyzing the process of Moodie's construction of Canadian identity.