American Literature

In the era of multiculturalism, it is very hard to define the real American identity. Every person in the United States may have been called American yet differences in races still matter. Since the birth of this nation, it has long sought for an identity. Who are the Americans? Is it the white people who speak English? Are Blacks, Hispanics and Indians considered Americans? These are the questions that so long hunted for an answer yet were only resolved at the dawn of the twenty first century after harsh riots and civil rights movement. It may be correct that all citizens sing the Star Spangled Banner, pledge allegiance to the Constitution yet not everyone has been granted equal rights. Sometimes equity and equality need to be fought for. These may be are the reasons why representatives of these oppressed cultures have written literature to express their sentiments.

Ralph Ellison may argue that his novel, “The Invisible Man”, had universal characters, wherein anyone who suffers the same oppression could relate himself to the protagonist; however, the case that it has been written by an African-American could lead to the conclusion that the novel articulated the sentiments of the Black people. The novel has been about the narrator’s quest for freedom, identity and selfhood.  Though the narrator has accomplished his goals in the end of the novel, the identity that he has taken on is that of an invisible man. Invisibility is a major theme of the novel. In fact, there are three types of invisibility that has been discussed. The first is partial invisibility that people would not see a person fully yet only limited to what the people ought to see. The second is invisibility by denial, people would see you as another person; and the last is full invisibility, which is resignation from the community. Thus, the novel stressed the worse consequences of prejudice due to race difference. Though the novel has been nihilistic and individualistic, the novel has inspired freedom movements and has produced leaders like Malcolm X.

Nevertheless, Philip Roth’s impasse in “Defender of the Faith” is of no less different from the predicament of Ellison. It is not of grave importance if Grossbart has been serious or not about his grievances. His machinations and mischief were not enough to hide the pressing quest for attention by the Jews in the army. Even Sgt. Marx has been persuaded by Grossbart to give special consideration to the Jews. Yet in the end Marx has turned the table and was able to exercise fairness for all, which earned him the title: defender of the faith.

Though N. Scott Momaday was not writing accurate history in his book: “The Way to Rainy Mountain,” however, it has well described the conception and the growth of the Kiowa people, their journeys and their stories. Momaday wanted to look at his heritage at as “many angles” as he could. He wanted to show the world that his ancestry had civilizations and did not belong to what some early white men called as “noble savage.”

Thus, all of these novels are stories about seeking identity. The similarities are marginalized and oppressed people in the society have written all of these stories. Their goal is to seek a space in the American culture where their identity would be accommodated. The demand may be as small as Momaday’s request for respect and recognition for his people to freedom from harassment and equity and equality. However in these modern times, we have now realized and understood the doctrines of our founding fathers. The American identity is an ever-expanding context wherein the future people would have a hard time identifying which is American.