Search For The National Identity

James Joyce,the master who wrote with the technique of the stream of consciousness, is one of the greatest writers in the twentieth century.His works exert profound influence on modern literature.Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,a collection of short stories and a novel,are the two early works of James Joyce.Literary criticism on Joyce has been made from various angles,while the thematic study from the angle of "national identity" has not been discussed thoroughly.This paper aims at analyzing James Joyce's "national identity" and his process of "search for the national identity" with an attempt to explore his intention to search for the national identity through the way of art. In the environment of paralyzed Ireland,the young Joyce felt a feeling of isolation which can be expressed through his works Dubliners and A Portrait.The sense of cultural inferiority,the poverty of Dublin and the spiritual tyranny in Ireland had driven him to exile himself to another world.Although Joyce exiles himself from his homeland,the alienated writer finds out the road back to his country.He achieves the combination of his personal identity and the national identity by his art.In his collection of short stories and autobiographic novel,he depicts the growth of himself in the background of Dublin.In order to search for a measure of common culture and a civic ideology,a set of common understandings and aspirations,sentiments and ideas that bind the population together in their homeland,Joyce combines the young artist's personal identity and the national identity together;the real depiction of Ireland makes him a writer of his people.This paper is designed in five chapters.First of all,the original conception and the reasons why this thesis is feasible are carefully illuminated in chapter one.First the literature review of the two works is given to show the depth and the extent of researches on the themes of the two works.The main theme of paralysis in the two works is widely discussed by critics.But the theme of search for national identity has not been explored very thoroughly.Chapter one also focuses on the former researches on James Joyce's nationalism and the theories on national identity.Chapter two traces the relationship between Irish nationalism and James Joyce.The background of Irish modern history and the context of Irish Nationalist Movement create the way in which James Joyce expresses his search for personal identity and national identity.Chapter three is the main part of my paper;it explores how the personal identity and the national identity are searched for.Dublin is the center of paralysis,and it ought never to be forgotten.In this chapter the paralyzed atmosphere in Dublin,the cultural alienation of Dubliners,the colonized missions by the priest and the oppressed personal identity by the Catholic Church are depicted.As a young artist,Stephen considers himself as a prophet of his country and suffers the entrapment in Ireland;he feels the deep inferiority in the cultural field and then thinks that the escape and exile must be the only way to fulfill his own personal identity.In this chapter,the opposition of personal identity and national identity receives an exploration.Chapter four is based on the analysis of the third chapter;James Joyce's two early works reflect his view of identity and national identity in his early years.He is different from the Irish Literary Revivalist and the Irish Nationalist number,but he is also a patriot. Instead of the national fancy,he pays more attention to the development of his art and establishes his goal of forging the uncreated conscience of his race.The full development of national identity asks for the free atmosphere and the support of his country.Although in the background of Irish self-betrayal and oppressed environment,the national identity is lost and the development of individual identity cannot be fully achieved.He realizes that at that moment the way to fulfill his own personal identity must be based on the combination of personal identity and the national identity.In Joyce's opinion,the art is the way of searching for the Irish identity and is also the best way to develop individual identity.Joyce finds a road back home which is his art.The last chapter of this paper brings out the conclusion that,in James Joyce's two early works,the theme of national identity is depicted.The search for national identity is based on James Joyce's art.In his art,the Irish history and the destiny of Irish people are connected tightly and the national identity is searched for with a high spirit.It is hoped that this paper can present James Joyce's unique views on national identity and personal identity clearly.