An Analysis Of Identity In The Underground Railroad With Homi Bhabha's Post-colonial Theory

The Underground Railroad is Colson Whitehead's first work discussing directly race and the slave system.It tells a thrilling escape story of a slave girl Cora in the mid-19 th century.She flees from the Southern plantation to the North taking “the underground railroad” and faces a completely different world wherever she arrives.Each state in the United States at that time adopts a different attitude toward black people,but the only thing that remains the same is that no matter where they are,black slaves will be tortured and persecuted.Whether it is hypocritical detainment or violent expulsion,running away seems to have no end.Based on Homi Bhabha's post-colonial theory,specifically the parts concerning stereotype,mimicry,and resistant space,the thesis traces the growth of Cora from being marginalized by black compatriots and being materialized by slave owners to the final awakening of selfconsciousness and successful constructing of the self-subject identity,with the purpose of revealing the author's writing intentions and attacking the devastating damages of slavery to family,morals and humanity.The introductory part reviews the main life experiences and writing career of Colson Whitehead,and summarizes the main plot of The Underground Railroad.Then it presents the current research of the novel both at home and abroad.Besides,it provides the main concepts of Bhabha's post-colonial theory.Further,it interprets Whitehead's hybrid identity as an African American and the impact of such an identity on him.The first chapter uses the concept of Homi Bhabha's stereotype to analyze the process of black people being constructed as “the Other” during slavery period.The black slaves are fixed in the stereotype of “born fools”,they are deprived of human identity and the right to love,forced to separate from their families,and cut off from African culture.At the same time,the existence of stereotype also reveals the ambivalent feelings of whites towards blacks—both desired and scared,making colonial resistance possible.Under the influence of slavery,black compatriots are cruel to each other in order to survive,and the racial and interpersonal relationships on the plantation are degraded to the savagery state.Cora is isolated and marginalized by her people and constructed as a crazy woman.As a result,she faces identity crisis.On the plantation,the slave owners are brutal.In the dilemma of “escape or death”,Cora embarks on the road to freedom bravely.The second chapter applies Bhabha's concept of mimicry to detail white colonists' seemingly milder but more cruel cultural mimicry policy on blacks,which reveals the identity crisis of white people behind anxiety.Facing the mimicry strategy of white colonists,some black people externally mimic white people's language,behavior manners,appearance and lifestyles.They either lose themselves in the mimicry,forget their black identity,or struggle under the white mask,yearn for white identity,but suffer from the black origin.Other blacks internalize white people's values and beliefs as a code of conduct to guide themselves,and become loyal servants of white colonists.However,Cora as a resister,under the policy of whites' cultural assimilation,lives cautiously and is always alert.She sticks to her heart and remains suspicious about whites' false account of the true facts.She takes the initiative and actively receives education for breaking the spiritual shackles of white colonists against blacks.What's more,she puts down her personal hatred,and tries to return to the black group,and thus steps forward to the path of self-identity reconstruction.The third chapter uses Bhabha's concept of public space to analyze how black people and abolitionists on the Valentine Farm launch resistance against the white colonists in media and public opinion,economy and politics,and social culture.In addition,using the concept of Bhabha's private space,this chapter also analyzes the resistance of Cora and other black compatriots,white abolitionists,and ordinary whites who sympathize with black situations against white colonists using the underground railroad.At last,this chapter introduces in detail how Cora completes the self-subjective identity reconstruction in the space that symbolizes “home” on the Valentine Farm.Finally,in the conclusion part,the thesis summarizes the Whitehead's writing intentions,and digs into the deep meaning of the novel.Cora's pursuit of freedom and identity is also the process of independence.Such a magnificent undertaking as the underground railroad is constructed by black people and abolitionists.So in the United States,black people can only rely on themselves to fight for equal rights and status.Therefore,Whitehead expresses his wish for black people to become self-reliant through Cora's story.He hopes that black people strive for everything through their own efforts,rather than relying on white people or God.As Africans in the United States,as new existence in the history of the world,there is no precedence for what black people will become.But as long as they unite together,rise and fall as one,even if they do not know where the way is going to,they can help each other when they fall,and reach the end together.In addition,Whitehead hopes to convey the spirit to readers through this novel--even if your life is hopeless now,you must believe that there will be a place where you can heal your trauma in the future.Look for life in hopeless adversity,and seek light in the dark underground.