DELUSION AND DISPLACEMENT: THE IDENTITY STRUGGLE IN ‘THE ISLAND OF MISSING TREES’

Abstract

This study explores the issue of identity crises in Elif Shafak's The Island of Missing Trees, examining how characters manage their sense of self amidst displacement, cultural hybridity, and historical trauma. Drawing on Marcia's (1966, 2002) model of identity formation and Erikson's (1968) theory of psychosocial development, the study looks into how people struggle with rootlessness and belonging. The study uses thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), with a focus on the cultural, social, and psychological components of identity formation. The analysis reveals how the novel's protagonists deal with internal difficulties affected by historical events, migration, and personal connections. The study, which follows an interpretivist paradigm (Denzin & Lincoln, 2011), highlights the flexibility of identity as well as the impact of social settings. The study investigates the characters' psychological and emotional issues using Marcia's identity statuses as well as Erikson's identity vs. role uncertainty and closeness vs. isolation stages. The findings indicate that identity is a dynamic process impacted by memory, displacement, and social expectations (Misztal, 2003). This study adds to postcolonial literary debate by demonstrating how literature reflects the intricacies of identity creation in a transnational and historical context, so providing a deeper understanding of identity battles in diasporic and culturally varied environments.