From Self-centeredness To Self-annihilation

Sandra Cisneros,known as one of the first Chicana writers,is still active in the contemporary American literary world.Identity pursuit is a recurring theme in her writing and her creation based on her own growing up experiences in a Chicago barrio has enriched the contents and connotation of Bildungsroman.The House on Mango Street(1984)and Caramelo(2002)both record the protagonists' transition from innocence to maturity.The two adolescents suffer from identity crisis due to their cross-cultural background.The aim of this thesis is to reveal the identity formation mechanism from the process perspective and argues that one needs to experience the transformation from self-centeredness to self-annihilation,and then he or she can truly understand his or her personal identity.The main body of this dissertation includes three chapters.The first chapter concentrates on Esperanza's desire to own a decent house and Lala's obsession with private space,revealing the motivation behind their excessive attention to identity from the perspective of cultural analysis.The second chapter shows their explorations of identity.The patriarchal values never stop exerting influence on them and restrict them to either a wife or a mother.Their futile attempts make them realize that placing the personal part as the only center of attention in the process of identity formation would never solve the identity crisis.The third chapter analyzes their ultimate freedom after experiencing the transformation,which enables them to fight prejudice against women and minorities so that they can interpret people and things around from a new perspective.The annihilation of the self through the connection with others would never diminish the uniqueness of personal identity;instead,people can become more truly themselves.The two protagonists do find ways of negotiating with hardships and defining themselves through this transformation.By analyzing female identity formation in individual-level growth process,this thesis also reveals Sandra Cisneros' call for the return to empathy and love in individual growth...