IDENTITY CRISIS IN 'MOON PALACE' AND 'THE MUSIC OF CHANCE' (Pages 39-46) by Mrs. Abirami. S* and Dr. K.B. Jasmine Suthanthira Devi** in THE ENGLISH RESEARCH EXPRESS / ISSN:2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

American literature is the literature written or produced in the area of the United States and its preceding colonies. During its early history, America was a series of British colonies on the eastern coast of the present – day United States. Therefore, its literary tradition begins as linked to the broader as tradition of English literature. Paul Auster’s novel Moon Palace (1989) is divided into three major parts, each telling the life story of one of three men, Marco Stanley Fogg, Thomas Effing, and Solomon Barber. As the plot proceeds it is revealed that Effing is the father of Barbar and also Marco’s grandfather. Thus a genealogy between the three is established. Their individual life stories resemble each other so much, and they are so deeply interwoven with each other, that Martin Klepper, for instance, talks about a threefold repetition of plot (297). Beside the genealogy that is gradually established, the major link between the three plots of Moon Palace is the great significance of the American West, and the frontier for all three protagonists. The novels chosen deal about orphan life through the characters of Jim Nashe and Marco Stanley and describe how they face struggles and strive to improve their style and standards. In this part of the thesis, the researcher discusses the struggles faced by the orphans in their day to day life. The main focus is on the theme of identity crisis in “The Moon Palace” and “The Music of Chance”. The Music of Chance the form of a classical (American) road story and thus foregrounds major features of picaresque fiction. This genre is rooted in Spanish literature and characterized by the following generic markers at the centre of the narrative is the picaro or the picara that is – at least temporarily – removed from any particular place and forced to travel through the country. The plot follows the movements of the traveler and consists of a number of disconnected episodes. The opening section of The Music of Chance has a similar form, as the action is set mainly on the road and the story constitutes a sequence of accidental occurrences.merican literature is the literature written or produced in the area of the United States and its preceding colonies. During its early history, America was a series of British colonies on the eastern coast of the present – day United States. Therefore, its literary tradition begins as linked to the broader as tradition of English literature. Paul Auster’s novel Moon Palace (1989) is divided into three major parts, each telling the life story of one of three men, Marco Stanley Fogg, Thomas Effing, and Solomon Barber. As the plot proceeds it is revealed that Effing is the father of Barbar and also Marco’s grandfather. Thus a genealogy between the three is established. Their individual life stories resemble each other so much, and they are so deeply interwoven with each other, that Martin Klepper, for instance, talks about a threefold repetition of plot (297). Beside the genealogy that is gradually established, the major link between the three plots of Moon Palace is the great significance of the American West, and the frontier for all three protagonists. The novels chosen deal about orphan life through the characters of Jim Nashe and Marco Stanley and describe how they face struggles and strive to improve their style and standards. In this part of the thesis, the researcher discusses the struggles faced by the orphans in their day to day life. The main focus is on the theme of identity crisis in “The Moon Palace” and “The Music of Chance”. The Music of Chance the form of a classical (American) road story and thus foregrounds major features of picaresque fiction. This genre is rooted in Spanish literature and characterized by the following generic markers at the centre of the narrative is the picaro or the picara that is – at least temporarily – removed from any particular place and forced to travel through the country. The plot follows the movements of the traveler and consists of a number of disconnected episodes. The opening section of The Music of Chance has a similar form, as the action is set mainly on the road and the story constitutes a sequence of accidental occurrences.Keywords: protagonists, identity crisis, generic markers, disconnected episodes, accidental occurrences etc.