Jim Dixan's Identity Crisis In Kingsley Amis's Lucky Jim

After the Second World War, a group of English novelists called"Angry Young Men"adopt the techniques of realism to depict the life of people from the lower middle class, and Kingsley Amis is a noted representative of them. His works focus on the postwar British society and present the confusion and depression of young men with humble birth. Based on the method of textual analysis, combined with the characteristics of anti-hero and the motif of"Male Cinderella", this thesis probes into the identity crisis of Jim Dixon, the protagonist of Kingsley Amis's Lucky Jim.With the help of the characteristics of anti-hero, this thesis first analyses Dixon's identity crisis in the academic world, exploring how he takes rebellion and finally breaks up with the academic circle. Then Dixon's identity crisis in the commercial world is presented in the light of the motif of"Male Cinderella". Though he becomes the secretary of Gore-Urquhart, many details and the open ending of the novel have implied that he would still be confronted with many setbacks in this circle. Finally, from two aspects, this thesis explores the causes which bring about Dixon's identity crisis, namely his individual weakness and the unfair social structure. It also points out that through Jim Dixon's"lucky experiences", Kingsley Amis has revealed the identity crisis which the young intellects with humble origin encounter in postwar Britain.