Identity Recognition In Philip Roth’s Desire Trilogy

Philip Roth(1933-) is one of the most famous Jewish writers in America and even the world. His creation focuses on depicting common American Jews? living situation and revealing American Jewish immigrants? living dilemma under the influence of American mainstream culture. Since the publication of Roth?s first novel, Goodbye, Columbus, researches on Roth and his creation never end. Researchers begin their studies from various perspectives such as ethnical criticism, neo-realism, and Jewishness that are embodied in Roth?s novels. However, this thesis finds that, previous studies of Roth and his creation are monotonous in material selection and pay much attention on Philip Roth?s latter creation, while works written in prometaphase stage encounter insufficient focus and superficial exploration.This thesis selects Philip Roth?s Desire Trilogy(includes The Professor of Desire(1977), The Breast(1971)and The Dying Animal(2006)) as research texts, for the creation of the Desire Trilogy spanned half a century which combined Roth?s earlier creation style and latter written manner. After a brief introduction to the research background, purposes and significance, this thesis analyzes studies on Philip Roth at home and abroad, and puts much emphasis on identity issues that are embodied in Roth?s representative works, particularly in the Desire Trilogy. The main body of this thesis is oriented by identity theory, based on intensive reading of the texts and pointed to personal characteristics, mainly discusses Kepesh?s(the protagonist of the Desire Trilogy) desire representation, identity anxiety, identity lost, identity construction and identity recognition in his three stages of life such as youthfulness, middle age and dying years. The whole study is interlocked with painstaking investigation and layer-by-layer analysis. Through focusing on the three core questions as “How does Kepesh?s identity anxiety appear in the Desire Trilogy?”, “What representations do Kepesh?s identity problems possess?” and “What approaches should be adopted in order to reach the identity recognition?”. This study elaborately penetrates Kepesh?s personal experience and identity appeal through personal desire, career pursuit, physical alienation, broken marriage and family life. This thesis aims to provide a new dimension on Philip Roth studies, to express Roth?s misgiving and sympathy for the American Jews? hybrid survival predicament and to offer a good example for handling immigrants? issues in other countries and areas.