ABSTRACT

A Little Princess is one of the famous literary works about children written by Frances Hodgson Burnett, a famous American female writer who is best known for her children’s stories. The purpose of the thesis is to reveal the influence of social environment and personal factors on identity, as well as the importance of identity by analyzing the characters’ identities in A Little Princess with the theories related to identity. As modern people who live in a complex social environment, we need to find a proper position for ourselves, and have a right understanding of our own identity, so as to live a better life. By studying the characters’ identity in A Little Princess, the thesis helps the readers discover the influence of social history and culture and personal efforts on identity, and have a correct understanding of self, then to enrich and improve themselves.

Keywords：A Little Princess; identity; Sara

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

摘要

Chapter One INTRODUCTION-1

1.1 A Brief Introduction of A Little Princess-1

1.2 Purpose and Significance of the Thesis-2

1.3 About the Structure of the thesis-2

Chapter Two LITERATURE REVIEW-3

2.1 The Definition of Identity-3

2.2 Research about Identity-4

2.3 Research about the Novel-5

Chapter Three IDENTITIES OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS-6

3.1 Identity of the Protagonist “Sara”-6

3.2 Identity of Other Major Characters-9

3.2.1 Miss Minchin-9

3.2.2 Miss Amelia-11

3.2.3 Becky-13

Chapter Four THE IMPORTENCE OF IDENTITY-15

4.1 The Influence of Identity on People-15

4.2 The Influence of Identity on Society-16

Chapter Five CONCLUSION-17

WORKS CITED-18