Identity Construction In Toni Morrison's Home

As the world has stepped into an age of globalization, the communication on economy and culture between different cultures have largely been accelerated. Under such circumstances, people have more chances to confront cultural shock and identity dilemma than before. The topic of identity has attracted much academic attention nowadays. African Americans are the marginalized members in American society. On the one hand, they are American citizens; On the other hand, they are rejected by the main stream society. Traditional African culture is labeled with ?mysterious?, ?premitive?, ?backward? and so on.As the first black Nobel Prize winner, Morrison spares no effort in promoting traditional black American culture. One lasting theme in her works is identity crisis. The two protagonists, Frank and Cee, in Home have experienced three stages in their identity construction. This dissertation will apply Anthony Giddens‘ theories to analyze the deep mechanism of identity crisis and identity reconstruction in Home. By analyzing the identity construction in the novel, the dissertation aims at revealing the truth that the only way for African Americans to achieve stable and harmonious identities is to find their ?roots?, and identify their own cultural tradition, as to acquire freedom and dignity in the White dominated society.