The Identity Construction And Cultural Fusion In Willa Cather’s The Professor’s House And Death Comes For The Archbishop

Willa Cather (1873-1947) was a renowned American woman writer in the first half of the 20th century. Her literary creation not only sings high praises for the pioneering spirit and noble sentiment of American Midwest exploiters at the end of 19th century, but also realistically demonstrates the natural and social changes during the transitional period of America. "Like the daubs of color on a painter’s palette",her composition reflects the collision and blending trend of multiple identities and cultures within the broad social spectacle.As the representatives of Willa Cather’s later works, both The Professors House(1925) and Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927) are set in American Southwest.Though different in thematic treatment and plot, the two novels share the same spiritual guidance and value orientation.The Professor’s House reveals identity anxiety and quest of both the nation and the public in the 1920s. And Death Comes for the Archbishop, with an inclusive and agreeable attitude, vividly demonstrates different groups’ ethnic distinctiveness in the Southwest. It makes great sense to have a combining study of the two works from the perspective of identity and culture to further apprehend and appreciate Cather’s composing thoughts and skillful artistry. However, the former research of this is far from sufficient or enough, both at home and abroad. Hence, the thesis, utilizing identity construction theory and certain perspectives of cultural study,goes to discuss the questions of identity construction and cultural fusion in the two novels,with the hope of getting a deeper understanding of American society and public life at the turn of the 20th century, illustrating Cather’s thoughts and cognition of identity, culture and "Americanism" as well as other issues, and grasping her thinking shifts and creating tendency in her later composition stage.The whole thesis is divided into five parts. "Introduction" lays the foundation of the research and interprets thesis statement and organization. The first chapter explains historical background and cultural context, showing the problems the United States faced in the social transitional period. Based on this, the second chapter focuses on different subjects’ identity anxiety and construction. Thereafter, the third chapter turns to the blend and symbiosis of multiple cultures. The "Conclusion" part restates the association of the two works, summarizes the former discussion, and then notes Willa Cather’s active participation in the’ historical debate on identity and cultural issues and her intellectual contribution to the inquiry of American spirit.