Searching For Identity

John Maxwell Coetzee(1940—),a South African Australian writer,literary critic and translator,is one of the most studied contemporary writers in the west.Born in South Africa,Coetzee relocated to the UK and the USA in the 1960 s,then returned to South Africa to teach English Literature and finally settled down in Australia in 2002.Coetzee's complex and varied experiences have shaped his floating and hybrid identities,which not only brings him with a perpetual anxiety,but inspires him to focus more on the living dilemmas of marginalized immigrants in the context of globalization.Since his creation in Australia,Coetzee has been writing more about immigration,rights of animals and philosophical dialogues,etc.Representatives are his Elizabeth Costello,Slow Man and The Childhood of Jesus.The Childhood of Jesus tells about the living experiences of two new immigrants in an immigrant city Novilla.Up to now,scholars have studied this novel from perspectives like allegory,religion,intertext,late style,ecology and so on.Through careful reading,it is easy to find that there are plenty of identity representations of the two protagonists in diverse spaces.Thus,the issue of identity needs be explored to make a more comprehensive interpretation of this novel.From the perspective of spatial criticism,this thesis tends to explore the two protagonists' reconstructions of identities in an immigrant city Novilla.By connecting Henry Lefebvre's theory of space with Stuart Hall's theory of cultural identity,the thesis investigates the two protagonists' identity anxieties,their trials of reconstructions of identities and their introspection of identities after the failed trials.This thesis is divided into three parts: introduction,body part and conclusion.The introduction consists of general introduction of Coetzee and his works,a literature review,a combing of theories of space and identity,and the thesis structure.The body part is made up of three chapters.Chapter One analyzes Simon's and David's identity anxieties by interpreting the symbolic meanings of the space of Novilla.Simon feels his “misfit” identity due to the ideological control in the conceived space.And David encounters his “floating island” identity on account of the operation of power in Novilla.Chapter Two focuses on the two protagonists' reconstructions of selfidentities through their spatial practices.Via establishing dialogues with his comrades and neighbors,Simon tries to identify himself with the “Novillans”.Differently,David tries to form his “rebel” or “non-Novillan” identity in his imaginary world.Chapter Three explores the two protagonists' introspection of their identities after their failed trials of reshaping of identities.David and Simon,joined by Ines,an unknown woman who is affirmed to be David's biological mother,form a “family of David” in the end.In this genuine home of “family of David”,they are convinced of their biblical identities and think about their “diversified” identities in Estrellita from several aspects.Through the discussions above,it is pointed out in the conclusion part that in order to obtain certain identities and home awareness in a society where diversified cultures coexist,immigrants need to constantly rethink about their identities,acknowledge histories and respect differences.And it is hoped that these may give some inspiration for those who hope to gain a sense of belonging in a world of globalization.