On The Identity Crisis Of Caribbean Immigrants In The Lonely Londoners

Samuel Selvon,a leading figure in Caribbean literature,is praised by scholars as one of the most influential writers in contemporary British black literature.Focusing on the living condition of the black both in the Caribbean and in England,Selvon is known for his Trinidadian cultural perspective and his unique linguistic achievement.Moreover,Selvon’s Caribbean background and life experience in London provide plentiful material resources for his works.As the first novel based on the post-war London society,The Lonely Londoners is regarded as a milestone in Caribbean literature and has also drawn much attention from scholars and critics both at home and abroad.However,most of the studies in China analyze this novel from the perspective of decolonization.Thereby,this thesis intends to apply the theory of identity and the theory of collective memory to examine the crisis Caribbean immigrants suffer in London.This thesis consists of five parts: Chapter One takes a brief introduction to Samuel Selvon,his works,literature review on The Lonely Londoners and theoretical framework of this thesis.Chapter Two focuses on Caribbean immigrants’ lost collective memory of the homeland and emphasizes their relationship with identity.Chapter Three discusses the Caribbeans’ identity crisis which is caused by the exclusion from the mainstream London society,namely the loss of place attachment and lack of decent working environment.Chapter Four mainly explores Caribbean immigrants’ lack of community in London society,and analyzes how the absence of family and community influences immigrants’ identity recognition.Chapter Five is the conclusion part which aims to summarize the main discussions in each chapter.In an unfamiliar and white-dominated society,identity crisis exists among Caribbean immigrants.Through immigrants’ existential situation in London,Selvon expresses his authentic concern towards the predicament of the Caribbeans and emphasizes that it is important for immigrants to find a way to solve their identity problem and then they can realize harmonious coexistence of multi-races.