Forms and functions of the negotiation of Canadian identity in Hugh MacLennan's "The Watch That Ends The Night" (PDF)

Seminar paper from the year 2022 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3, University of Cologne (Englisches Seminar 1), language: English, abstract: This paper examines the way in which Hugh MacLennan incorporates elements of Canadian identity into his renowned novel The Watch That Ends The Night.
Firstly, an attempt to define the terminology that is essential for the understanding of this paper will be made. Moreover, rather complex phenomena such as 'identity' or 'nation' will be briefly discussed whilst taking into account influential works such as Anderson's Imagined Communities. Having introduced the terminology, this paper will be concerned with the question of how these concepts can be applied to the situation in Canada. On that point, the relevance of national identity for Canada will be debated. In order to do so, Canadian nationalism will be taken into consideration. Then, MacLennan's The Watch That Ends The Night will be examined, taking into account the different elements of identity constitution to be found in the novel. Thereby, the aspects of Canadian identity will revolve around the main themes of history, politics and religion.
The significance of the thematization of national identity in MacLennan's novel shall be discussed as well as the novel's impact.
The central thesis of this paper is that in his The Watch That Ends The Night, Hugh MacLennan utilizes Canada's involvement in an international conflict as well as the nation's history during the early twentieth century in order to establish a sense of national identity among the readers.