The Use of 'Identity' in Literature. Some Remarks on its Use in Hawthorne´s 'Blithedale Romance' and Melville´s 'Pierre'

Academic Paper from the year 1974 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: A, University of Massachusetts - Amherst (English Department), language: English, abstract: The aim of this essay is a comparison of the use uf 'identity' in two works of American 19th century literature: Nathaniel Hawthrone´s 'Blithedale Romance' and Hermann Melville´s' Pierre'. In a first part, the concept of the word identity and its origin dating back to John Lock are examined. A special focus is, hereby, laid on the the perceived difference between its original and its modern meaning. The second part ,then, puts emphasis on the different use Melville and Hawthorne make of the word in their respective writings, before, finally, giving a short conclusions of the findings of this essay. It shall be argued that Melville and Hawthorne, by using this adequate name for a well know struggle, can be called innovators of their time.