National Identity in Patrick Hamilton's The Slaves of Solitude

Abstract

The aim of the essay is to argue that Patrick Hamilton´s The Slaves of Solitude could be seen as conscious criticism of the prevalent notions of British national identity in the 1940s. Based on the premise that national identity is a constructed phenomenon subject to negotiation, the conceptual uses of national identity in cultural senses are analysed. Using relevant non-literary critical material, the essay argues that Hamilton uses the main protagonist of the novel, in relation to the other characters, to illustrate and criticise aspects of national identity in 1940s England. By doing this the essay broadens the discussion of Hamilton to be regarded as a social commentator depicting social concepts of identity.