Plight Of Identification In Mother Night

Kurt Vonnegut was one of the most prominent representative writers in 21 st American literature. His literary career originated from science fiction. As a result, he is generally regarded as a science fiction novelist. His masterful use of post-modern writing techniques as well as poignant satire is highly applauded both by readers and critics. On the contrary to his frequently used literary style, in the novel Mother Night he turns to the grave subject matter of history. It makes considerable breakthroughs concerning both writing style and techniques, expressing his meditation on war as well as humanity.Mother Night is written in the first person point of view, which enables readers to resonate with the protagonist. Then it is the confessions of the spy Campbell during World War ?. The story revolves around the vicissitudes of the protagonist's experiences and destiny. This thesis intends to reveal the underlying causes of Campbell's identification plight under the dual influence of politics and emotion during the special period of time of World War ?. It also aims at researching on the inevitability of his destiny and endeavors to seek for the solution.This thesis is divided into three parts. The first part intends to apply Michel Foucault's power theory to the analysis of the protagonist's social dual identity. The second part discusses how the protagonist falls into the trap during the process of searching for emotional shelter by taking advantage of Foucault's knowledge theory. The last part discusses his awakening of conscience and the final solution of his plight, revealing the inevitability of the tragedy as well.