Eddie's Self-Search Analysis

Conclusion

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

—— Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere’s Fan You see things; and you say ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?’

—— George Bernard Shaw, Back to Methuselah The idea of bricolage…inspires creativity and originality, making possible new ways of putting things together.

—— Mary Klages, Literary Theory: A Guide for the Perplexed

I. Result of Eddie’s Self-Search

The plot of Twyborn is as fragmented as its protagonist’s identity. Every part can be regarded as an independent story except for the same names appearing in all parts. But this is very Whitean style; White says that “I think my novels usually begin with characters; you have them

Hu Yijun contends that White expresses a regression from “self” to “non-self” in Twyborn, and “The bombardment tore Eddie into pieces…the rebirth seems to fail Eddie and us contemporary human beings” (Hu 102). Xu Kai says that there is always ambivalence on Eddie. In spite of being accepted by h/er mother and Gravenor, s/he is killed in the raid at last. “War is the extreme of the inner conflict of modern civilization”; the war destroys Eddie and it means that Eddie is still not accepted by modern civilization (Xu, “Metaphor” 73-74). Wu Baokang claims that “Eddie/Eadith’s unexpected death in an air raid indicates undoubtedly society’s ultimate rejection of his/her existence and its cruelty in eliminating any dissidents”; through the tragedy of Eddie, White exposes the impossibility of recovering man’s lost self whatever his effort (Wu, Tragic Significance 166-167). All the critics above think that the result of Eddie’s self-search is a failure. But interpreting from another perspective, it is reasonable to say that Eddie’s self-search is successful. Near the end of the novel, there is such a

Eddie’s dream is to find the complete identity, in which s/he can love both h/erself and others. At last the people s/he cares most are h/er mother Eadie and Gravenor; if s/he can deal well with h/er relation with Eadie and Gravenor, s/he will solve h/er identity issue. The final decision s/he makes is to be Eadie’s daughter in the identity of Eadith, and to be Gravenor’s lover in the identity of Eddie. In this way, s/he establishes satisfying relation respectively with Eadie and Gravenor. Exposing different identities to different people, s/he can love both h/erself and others at all situations. Thus Eddie’s self-search is successful, and s/he has found the complete