The Dilemma Of Identity In Medicine River

Thomas King is an outstanding person not only because of his achievement on some important novels as a contemporary Canadian writer but also because of his pioneering efforts for a very funny CBC Radio Series as its creator. King himself has a special identity since he is a mixed-blood with a Cherokee and Greek-German descent. Therefore, some researchers hold that some characters in his works is likely to write about his own experience and searching for self.Medicine River (1989) is King’s first but important novel because it marks him as a noteworthy voice in Canadian literature. It largely concerns the issue of the Protagonist Will’s coming home and seeking for identity. In the novel, Thomas King uses the story of the protagonist Will whose daily life in a little native community to reflect the whole nation on issues relating to the North American Indians, which involves social status, intermarriage, the function of community and so on.This thesis contains three main parts to analyze the dilemma of identity for Will. The first part discusses the manifestation of the dilemma of identity from the aspects of identity location, some recollections that is concerned with the dilemma of identity, and the situation of wandering between double identities. The second part analyzes the causes of the embarrassing identity in terms of social factor, family tragedy, and the protagonist’s self-recognition. The third part discusses two kinds of literary techniques that include metaphorical montage and storytelling which are regarded as two essential techniques in that they help to deepen the thesis statement. This thesis differs from the previous discussions of Indian identity in that it is a complex process of simultaneously becoming a part of and staying out of either or both worlds, while at last the protagonist goes back to the Indian reserve community and finds his own identity.