Identity Crisis in Select Afro American Novels

Abstract

Present thesis deals with the issue of identity crisis in Afro-American novels. This research is based on descriptive, conceptual and analytical research methodology. The relevant information and learning has been undertaken from primary as well as secondary sources. The comprehensive reading of reference books and different articles published in the national and international journals have really been helpful in the understanding of the concept. This study is an attempt to examine what identity crisis is and how it is depicted in the works of James Weldon Johnson, Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison and Alice Walker. An attempt has been made to explore various facets of identity crisis in the works of these writers and to probe the pervasive effects of identity crisis on the characters of these writers. This study analyzes how each writer is similar or different in his or her treatment to the theme of identity crisis. Through this analysis, the present thesis also aims at understanding how Afro-Americans form their identity while facing the problem of identity crisis. The works selected for the proposed study include four novels by four different authors. The novels are The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson published in 1912, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellsion published in 1952, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison published in 1970 and The Color Purple by Alice Walker published in 1985. All these Afro- American writers belong different time. newline The thesis has been divided into six chapters. The first chapter serves as a comprehensive introduction for the present study on Identity Crisis in Select Afro-American Novels. The concepts of identity, identity crisis and different factors affecting the identity crisis have been discussed. The focus is given especially to the Afro-American society and Afro-American writers. The second chapter is a critical analysis of the novel The Autobiography of an Ex- Colored Man written by James Weldon Johnson. The central theme of the novel passing as white is