Abstract:The English Patient, as a distinguished modernistic novel, has been dyed a deep color of modernistic theme. It has put the characters in the special historical setting of War II, and locked the characters with different religious and cultural identities, which deepens the theme of self-cognition to a much more specific and complicated level. From a special angle, it describes and explains the general psychological problems and spiritual dilemma of modern people, especially pressing the importance on the problems of the loss of faith. The novel describes the maturity process of the characters' minds and psychological state with amazing details, during which, it has been bestowed great patience and delicacy in dealing with the nuances of the gradually changing of the inner world and self-cognition. Ladislaus de Almásy has an inerasable confusion about the multi-identity during the war , and a near-monomaniac rejection towards "name". Severely psychologically damaged by the bloody war, Hana finally gets the courage to look for a new-born ego during the days she has spent alone with the English patient . Kip has always been looking for the balance of identity in the foreign war, and finally gets a new idea about the international injustice the British government propagates. Through a close analysis of the characters' inner world , the article tries to get a deep understanding about the self-cognition theme of The English Patient and to get the religious and cultural elements that have influenced the changing of self-cognition.

Keywords : The English Patient; modernism; self-cognition; religious and cultural elements

Contents

中文摘要

Abstract

CHAPTER1: INTRODUCTUON-5

1.1 Brief introduction of Michael Ondaatje-5

1.2 Brief introduction of The English Patient-6

1.3 Literary Review-7

CHAPTER2: THE ANALYSIS OF THE INNER WORLD OF THE CHARACTERS-9

2.1: The confusion of multi-identities ——Ladislaus de Almásy-9

2.2 The search of a new self ——Hana-12

2.3 The refusal of intimate relationships and the conception of equality and justice—Kip-13

2.4 Analysis of the character building according to the thoery of E.M.Forster-14

CHAPTER3: THE ELEMENTS THAT INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHARACTERS' INNER WORLD-16

3.1 Religious reason——Kip-16

3.2 Cultural reason——Almásy-17

CHAPTER4: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SPIRITUAL PROBLEM OF MODERN MAN-19

CHAPTER5: CONCLUSION-23

REFERENCE-25

ACKNOWLEGMENTS-26