Diaspora and Identity Construction: Memory Writing in Voyage in the Dark

Abstract

Memory is the reflection of real-life situation and can present a sense of self and identity, which has always been an unavoidable element in the writings of diasporic writers. Taking the memory writing in Jane Rhys’ Voyage in the Dark as the entry point, this paper attempts to interpret the memory writings that appear in Voyage in the Dark by combining with cultural memory, landscape memory, and identity theory. By writing about the heroine Anna Morgan’s memories about the West Indies, Rhys analyzes how Anna tries to pursue her self-identity and the awakeness of herself. By walking through the two scenes and cultures and living in the gap between the two cultures, Anna tries to establish her identity and pursue a sense of belongings, looking for a spiritual homeland. Rhys uses modernist writing skills such as stream of consciousness and multiple spatial juxtaposition to make a memory writing in her novel, expressing the subversion of white Creole women to colonial discourse and the identification and construction of self-identity.