Identity Journey In A Colonial Context

Annie Proulx is a writer with a very personal style in modern American literature.In her works,she often discusses major issues in society by writing ordinary people’s life memories.In her latest novel,Bark-Skins,Annie Proulx highlights the difficult situation faced by the Indians by writing about the different fates of seven generations of Indians under the influence of colonial activities,and comprehensively investigates and writes about the Indians’ Identity issues.The main body of the thesis is divided into two parts: the introduction and the main body.The introduction part briefly introduces the background of the thesis,reviews the history and current situation of the research on Annie Proulx and her works by domestic and foreign scholars since the 1980 s,and expounds the significance and value of this topic.The main part includes three chapters.The first chapter mainly refers to the cultural connotation of the Indians’ concept of "animism",as well as the history of France,Britain and other countries capturing Indian forests and their resources.Looking back at the above two points highlights the plundering of natural resources by the colonists and the devastating impact on the traditional beliefs of the Indian nationality in " Bark-Skins "The second chapter focuses on exploring the negative impact of the discourse system of the white mainstream society on the Indian national culture,showing the identity dilemma faced by the traditional Indians after losing the traditional national value system.The identity dilemma they face is that Indians can only reconcile or even escape their hybrid identity by accepting subcultures in Western culture.The third chapter analyzes the reasons why indians cannot successfully construct their identities under the guidance of simulation strategies,explaining that only by mixing national culture with white culture and accepting the mixed and contradictory characteristics of individuals and nationalities can Indians be able to live in the new "Third Space" to complete the construction of self and national identity.The conclusion part of the paper points out that the Indian nation and individual should resolutely oppose the colonial discourse system,insist on crossing the cultural boundary,use the Indian national culture as the breeding ground,and make a reasonable choice in the "Third Space" between the West and the Indian,and strive to find a cultural balance.More importantly,Indians can gradually complete the negotiation and hybridity of identities in the exchange,fusion and even conflict of various factors,and continue to construct their own identity.