Quest for Self-Identity in Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing...

As the post-colonial criticism developed, the theorists have agreed upon the fact that the role of feminism in the post-colonial practice is crucial. Moreover, these two theories clearly have the same goals. On the one hand, the main objective of both of them is to disclose the traditional power structures, both patriarchal and imperial. On the other hand, both feminism and post-colonial criticism aim to show the way the writers challenge the respective forms of authority. The main concerns of the post-colonial criticism are the formation of canon, the phases through which imperialism and decolonization have gone, as well as how these processes are expressed in literature. What is more, the criticism is also concerned with the ways of†¦show more content†¦Today when the term identity refers, more often than not, to something noisily demonstrative, to a more or less desperate quest, or to an almost deliberately confused search... The nameless narrator in Margaret Atwoods nove l is on the pathway of unresolved crisis, she stands at the crossroads between different values, and her insecurity of her self-certainty limits her presenting her self-image to others. The novel reflects her journey of finding a resolution for her identity crisis, her struggle to conquer one of the most difficult issues in lives. In Spite of The Bell Jar, Esther searches consistently for some kind of identity but finds her options limited as a young woman with little money of her own. After a disappointing summer as a guest editor in New York City, she fails to be accepted into a prestigious writing course and gradually loses much of her sanity and ambition. She mentally explores many wild scenarios for happiness and fulfillment (e.g., apprenticing herself to a pottery maker, finding a European lover), tries to write a novel, does such bizarre things as wearing her mothers clothes and eating raw meat, and finally attempts suicide. Obviously, she is not mentally well, but to some extent societys repressions for females and the lack of creative inspiration in her life have both contributed to her collapse. Since society does not encourage