Abstract Harold Pinter, a 2005 Nobel Literature Prize winner, is widely rated one of the most influential modern British dramatists. A director, actor and political activist as well, Pinter is best known for his absurdist plays.61797

The Homecoming, one of Pinter’s representative works, is a triumph of craftsmanship and artistic intention. At first glance, Ruth’s acceptance of London home’s sexual offer is absurd. However, it’s the way Ruth realizes her self-pursuit and releases her demands. Besides, the Pinteresque style also puts audiences in identity dilemma. 

Aimed at analyzing the identity pursuit of the heroine in the play, this paper probes into the reasons why Ruth has made such a seemingly absurd choice. The entire essay can be pided into three parts, Ruth’s unhappy marriage, her realization and pursuit of the true self, and Pinter’s impact on this play. Through the approach of making detailed textual analysis, the thesis comes to a conclusion that the turnover from Teddy’s good wife to the replacement of dead wife in London’s home and a part-time whore is not the absurdity of Ruth’s mentality but the realization of her identity pursuit.

Key Words: Harold Pinter, The Homecoming, Pinteresque drama, feminism, identity pursuit

摘要哈罗德·品特是2005年诺贝尔文学奖获得者，他是当代英国最有影响力的戏剧家之一。身为导演、演员和政治活动家，品特以他的荒诞剧闻名于世。

《归家》是品特最有代表性的作品之一，是以艺术手法反映写作意图的一次巨大成功。乍看起来，露丝在剧中最后接受伦敦一家的色情邀请似乎荒诞可笑，但是，这是露丝实现自我的价值和释放自我需求的方式。此外，品特式的荒诞风格将这种身份的转变与诉求放大，以引发观众思考。

本论文旨在分析《归家》中唯一女主角露丝的身份诉求，深入探究露丝这个看似荒诞的选择背后的原因。整篇论文分为三部分，分别为露丝不快乐的婚姻、露丝的自我实现和她对真我的追求，以及哈罗德·品特对该剧的影响。通过对文本的具体分析，本文最终得出结论，即露丝从泰迪的好妻子身份到伦敦一家中亡妻的替代者以及兼职妓女的身份转变，不是因为露丝乱了心智，而是她完成了自己对身份的追求。

毕业论文关键词：哈罗德品特，《归家》，品特式荒诞剧，女性主义，身份诉求

Acknowledgments i

Abstract ii

摘要 iii

1 Introduction 1

2 Methodology 3

2.1 Feminist Criticism 3

2.2 Identity 4

3 Pursuit of Wife Identity 6

3.1 Ruth’s Unhappy Marriage 6

3.2 Max’s Dead Wife: Jessie 7

3.3 Ruth’s Realization of Wife Identity 8

4 Pursuit of Self Realization 10

4.1 Illiberal Identity with Teddy 10

4.2 Ruth’s Mother-Whore Duality 10

4.3 Ruth’s Realization of Her Liberal Identity 11

5 Pinter’s Influences on The Homecoming 13

5.1 Pinteresque Style in The Homecoming 13

5.2 Pinter’s Political Stance in The Homecoming 13

5.3 Pinter’s Feminist Ideas in The Homecoming