A Journey In Search Of Self-identity--An Analysis Of Sutpen's Character In Absalom, Absalom!

William Faulkner, one of the most important novelists in America, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950. Absalom, Absalom! is the central work of the Yoknapatawpha. It is also the most mature and epical work. The thesis tends to analyze the alienation of Sutpen's character, the loss of identity and the journey in search of identity with Lacan's psychoanalytic approaches and the alienation theory.The thesis is composed of the Introduction and five chapters. The Introduction briefly introduces the writer and the novel, literary review, the objective and significance of the thesis. Chapter One analyzes the cultural and social context of the novel. Chapter Two explains the growing-up process of Sutpen and his loss of self-identity based on Lacan's theory. Chapter Three explores Sutpen's alienation based on the alienation theory. Chapter Four focuses on the journey of Sutpen in search of self-identity, and the result of his search of self-identity. Chapter Five is the conclusion.