IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION THROUGH LANGUAGE IN MOHSIN HAMID’S MOTH SMOKE

Abstract

The paper aims to explore the profound role played by language in the process of identity construction within the context of Mohsin Hamid’s Moth Smoke. It unfolds the complex ways in which linguistic choices shape and construct the characters’ personal and societal identities. Identity is a dynamic concept, dealing with the social-positioning of individuals and others. The paper examines how the characters in the novel use language to establish social hierarchies, employing specific words and expressions to assert their identities. As for theoretical framework, the paper uses dramaturgy theory offered by Goffman in 1959. The major tenets of the theory – presentation of self, audience segregation, team work use of props and social scripts - are examined through analysis of selected excerpts from the novel. The paper ends with suggestion that language affects characters’ identities, influencing how they understand each other and creating boundaries between them.