A Study Of Irish Cultural Identity In The Gathering

Anne Enright(1962-),a famous female writer in Ireland,has written many works.Her novel The Gathering won the 2007 Man Booker Prize.The story is about a middle-aged Irish woman named Veronica.Hearing the death of her brother Liam,she determines to find the reason of his death.This novel shows Enright's concern for the living status and cultural identity of modern Irish people.Enright,in this novel,offers a vivid vision of how the depressed Irish people construct their cultural identity in Dublin community.In the light of Stuart Hall's theory of cultural identity,this paper attempts to analyze the process of Veronica's construction of Irish cultural identity.Hall's theory mainly holds that cultural identity involves difference and diversity for it always develops in a fluid process through which the subjects present and construct themselves.Therefore,as to the Irish people in Dublin who are deeply influenced by British culture,no matter they fully accept the traditional Irish cultural identity or the Irish cultural identity colonized by British,they are confronted with barriers between Irish and British,and their subjectivity is restricted,which is not beneficial for their identity exploration.In Enright's The Gathering,Veronica has been in Irish cultural identity predicament.Born in a big family,she was lack of parental love and doubted her cultural identity.When she grew up,she got married,bore babies and lead a rich life;however she was still in her anxiety of cultural identity.In the process of looking for the reason for her family tragedy,by recalling and imagining her family history,she adjusted herself regularly and finally constructed her Irish cultural identity.Apart from Introduction and Conclusion,there are three chapters in this thesis.The introduction part presents the life of Anne Enright and the main plot of The Gathering.Then it provides a literature review both at home and abroad,some relevant theories and the significance of the study.Chapter One provides a detailed analysis of the factors which lead to Veronica's cultural identity predicament.She struggles in her unfortunate marriage,and endures the loss of her brother;meanwhile,she loses her job.All of this can be attributed to Irish history,politics and religion.This part discusses that the development of an individual's cultural identity is hindered by many factors.Chapter Two explores how Veronica defends her Irish cultural identity in the process of looking for her cultural identity,from the three perspevtives of her claim of her Irish cultural identity,her construction of other images of Britain and America and her adherence to Irish rituals and ceremonies.This part holds that an individual's cultural identity belongs to his or her collective cultural identity;meanwhile this cultural identity goes against other ones.Chapter Three explores Veronica's ways of constructing multicultural identity in the new period.At first,she accepts different cultures with a positive attitude,especially towards the difference between British culture and Irish culture.Secondly,she looks at her family members with a new perspective and accepts their love,establishing a good relationship with them.Finally,she comes to a good balance of her cultural identity between different cultures and constructs her own identity successfully.Based on the above discussion and analysis,the conclusion part points out that cultural identity is influenced by diverse factors and it is becoming to be a fluid cultural perspective.This thesis concludes that the fluid cultural identity not only helps Irish people to accept multiculturalism and eliminate bias but also leads them to reconsider the uniqueness of Irish culture,providing an effective strategy for Irish cultural identity to survive under the sweeping influence of British culture.