Identity Construction Under Double Consciousness And Culture Hybridity

Jean Toomer is one of the most prominent and representative writers during the Harlem Renaissance. Due to his mulatto identity, Toomer devotes all his life to striving for a spiritual harmony that transcends the boundaries of skin color. Therefore, the exploration of racial identity and black culture forms the major theme of his works. Published in1923, Cane is a powerful masterpiece of Jean Toomer. It is hailed as the pioneering work during the Harlem Renaissance and one of the representative modernist works as well. Jean Toomer became a success overnight by Cane and was seen as a rising star in the eyes of African-American writers. Till now, the book is always considered to be a leading influence on the Harlem Renaissance. Research and critics on Jean Toomer and Cane have been mounting worldwide.Currently, there have been abundant systematic studies on Jean Toomer’s Cane abroad, including historical research, biographical research, structure, writing style, narrative strategy, theme etc. In contrast, the domestic research on it is still in a fledging period, only a small amount of scholars start to study on Cane in terms of historical research, structure, theme etc. So far, there is still no comprehensive and deep analysis of Jean Toomer’s Cane by means of Double Consciousness and Black Racial Cultural theory at home. Therefore, this thesis attempts to analyze the image of New Negro in Jean Toomer’s Cane in light of W. E. B. Du Bois’s Double Consciousness and Paul Gilroy’s Black Racial Cultural theory.This thesis starts with a brief introduction to the Harlem Renaissance, Jean Toomer and Cane. Then literature review both at home and abroad is offered. As for the theoretical background, the thesis briefly introduces some important conceptions related with W. E. B. Du Bois and Paul Gilroy’s theory. The main body starts with the identity crisis that the new generation of African-American faced under the pressure of Double Consciousness and culture hybridity. The following part analyzes the characters’construction of cultural identity and racial identity under Double Consciousness, from which the image of New Negro during the Harlem Renaissance is concluded. Lastly, it draws the conclusion that New Negroes are products of multi-cultural hybridity in America. They are representatives of the new generation of African-Americans who strive for independence, equality and freedom.