A Progressive Step Towards National Integration

Hugh MacLennan, an important writer in contemporary Canadian literature, is regarded as one of the greatest writers in Canadian history, whose works contribute to Canada's postcolonial literature. His novel Two Solitudes depicts the reality of Canada in 1910s-1940s, reflecting the hard life of Canadians at that time under post colonial background. The appearance of Two Solitudes makes a progressive step towards national integration in Canada. This study, based on post colonialism, analyzes reasons leading to the conflicts between Anglophones and Francophones, which are Anglophones and Francophones'motherland complex for Britain and France. This deep complex leads the two ethnicities to live under the shadow of their respective Suzerain states. Another reason for their identity confusion lies in their imitation for higher social class to upgrade their own status, what's more, even some youngsters intimate Americans. Apart from their identity confusion, this study also discusses how they achieve their peaceful coexistence in the view of its social background, which reflects the writer's awakened ethnic consciousness and interprets Hugh's postcolonial thoughts in Two Solitudes, as well as contributes of Maclennan and Two Solitudes to Canadian national integration.Chapter one is the identity confusion. This chapter generally describes the identity confusion of French and British Canadians when they are facing their own traditional culture and the influences of Britain, France, and America, which includes two parts: No matter French Canadian or British Canadian, they all have a kind of―motherland complex‖; and the people with lower status want to intimate people in upper status to upgrade their social positions. Some young Canadians also intimate the Americans. This chapter summarizes the reasons of confrontation between each nation of Canada through their identity confusion and search for their self identity, which lies in Anglophones and Francophones'motherland complex for Britain and France, and their imitation for higher social class to upgrade their own status.Chapter Two is about confrontation between Francophones and Anglophones under the influence of their suzerain states, including ideology and ways of living. Since the New France period, several centuries later, New France still determined the way French Canadian lived. Roman Catholic churches still play an important role in each colony. Whether a man believes in Catholics determines he is an real French Canada or not. This Chapter finds out that their identity confusion leads to their different attitudes towards economy and religious beliefs, which forms contradiction between the two ethnicities. What's more, the resolutions of these confrontations also make great contribution to national integration. Chapter Three depicts the integration process of these two races. Although their conflicts exist, they ultimately flow in the main stream of multiculturalism in Canada. The grownup process of Paul"records the development of Canada history"(Deng 103), which is the real picture of newborn Canada and describes the positioning process of two races of people in this society.Canada forms her own culture with a post colonial cultural background and promotes its own consciousness of national independence and unity. Hugh MacLennan's novel also establishes solid foundation for promoting multiculturalism in Canada and harmonious life of all races.