On Ethical Identity In Coetzee’s Autobiographical Trilogy

John Maxwell Coetzee is a South African-born novelist and critic with many awards,including the Booker Prize and the Noble Prize in Literature.As a prolific writer,Coetzee focuses on humanity and ethical issues,among which his autobiographical trilogy,Boyhood,Youth,and Summertime are the typical representative works revealing the moral development of literary characters.The novels recount the protagonist John’s ethical identity crisis and the changes of his ethical identity during his childhood,youth,and middle age.The trilogy represents the social reality in South Africa during colonial and post-colonial periods,as well as Coetzee’s self-doubt,self-analysis,self-criticism,and self-reflection,which are fully expressed through the ethical development of the protagonist John.Based on ethical literary criticism,the thesis aims to examine John’s different ethical identities in the trilogy.Besides the introduction and conclusion,the thesis is divided into three chapters.The introduction includes an introduction to Coetzee,the main contents of the autobiographical trilogy,a summary of the overall study of Coetzee’s works,and the main content of the thesis.The first chapter focuses on Boyhood,analyzing the protagonist John’s confusion about ethical identity in his boyhood.Living in turbulent South Africa,John rejects apartheid and also is estranged from the Afrikaans culture.Moreover,the disharmony between the parents,and the conflicts between parents and children continue to perplex him,which impel him to develop self-consciousness in his early childhood and further arise the strong desire to quest for his ethical identity amid conflicts and confusion.The second chapter focuses on Youth,analyzing John’s pursuit of ethical identity.As John is confronted with ethical and familial crises in childhood,he starts his journey of figuring out his ethical identity in the midst of conflicts and contradictions.John chooses to go to England,hoping to identify himself as a European descendant and find his root in London.He dreams to be accepted by mainstream society with his efforts,then accomplishing his dream of becoming an artist.Nevertheless,all of his efforts are in vain.He is finally refused by mainstream society and thus his dreams are disillusioned.The third chapter probes John’s reconstruction of ethical identity in his middle age.Experiencing diasporic life in England and America,he finally settles in his homeland and reconciles with his father.He comes to terms with apartheid in South Africa and gains new insights into racial relationships.He sympathizes with the black and colored people,believing that the ethnical conflicts can not be resolved by violence and only through understanding and respect,ethnical differences can be accepted and the past heal can be cured.The conclusion summarizes the ethical enlightenment conveyed by the trilogy.The transformations of John’s ethical identity show that only with full self-discovery and profound insight into ethical identity,can one break through the dilemmas.After years of living in the diaspora,John learns that the solution to ethical conflicts should be based on love and respect,which can further help the construction of a harmonious ethical identity.By portraying a peaceful and orderly future for all races in his works,Coetzee demonstrates his social responsibility and humanitarian concern as a writer.