Memory And Ego Identity Construction In When We Were Orphans

“Memory” is one of the most important themes in the novel When We WereOrphans. The famous British ethnic Japanese writer Kazuo Ishiguro makes a greatframework of memory with his particular life experience and the way of delicatenarration. The thesis is primary based on the theory of collective memory put forwardby Maurice Halbwachs, a French sociologist and the unique concept of ego identity inthe social development theory put forward by E. H. Erikson, an Americanpsychologist. Being a social-constructive concept, the collective memory is thepublic’s understanding and construction, retrospection and reproduction to thecollective past according to the present situations. And the concept of ego identity isan important psychological social phenomenon in which the individual graduallyknow yourself, and gradually maturein the process of development, eventually get apositive, complete and unified the concept of self. In Erikson’s identity theory system,the ego identity formation process is not only a psychological process, but also asocial process.Between the two theories, there is a close connection in the socialaspect, which provide us a new perspective to further understand and study modernliteratures.Firstly, in the first chapter of theory framework, the essay combs severalimportant concept of ego identity, collective memory, and autobiographic memory.And in the last quarter, it interprets the relationship between the memory andself-identity. And then in the second and third chapters, the essay respectivelyanalysises and interprets the text itself with ego identity from two parties and levels ofmemories. In chapter two of the individual ego identity construction, the hero Banksconstructs his individual self-identity mainly with the family memory withincollective memory as a foundation. Because of his missing parents, his self identityproduced confusion and chaos, delaying the individual ego identity construction. Inreturn to Shanghai, misleading by parents as a child and selective memory as an adultto the past, Banks failed looking for parents, and the delay’s self-identity burst. But during the exploration, by modifing the mistaken interpretation of memories, Banksfinally makes positive thinking to future development of self and then gets a positiveindividual ego identity. And in the later chapterof the cultural ego identity belonginglevel, in diachronic memories from the Shanghai International Settlement to theBritish school age, the protagonist also goes through the process of identity confusion,delay and establishment. Finally he complete his mix, belong to "the third space"self-identity cultural classification of the construction. By building the memory,individual to the self reflection, in the growth process gradually know yourself, andgradually mature, eventually get a positive, complete and unified self-identity.