The Search for Meaning and Identity in American Modernism

Seminar paper from the year 2017 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Duisburg-Essen, language: English, abstract: This paper examines selected literature of the Modernist Era and the search for identity in and outside of the United States during this time.

One of the characteristics of Modernism in America is the development of changing attitudes towards religion, and in particular Christianity, which was seen as the traditional religion that had, up until then, been a pillar of American beliefs. These changed attitudes ranged anywhere from questioning one¿s religion or faith to having flat out aversions to even the idea of (any) God. (my emphasis) In the late 1800¿s, under the influence of the idea of successful Manifest Destiny, and major advances in sciences and technology, people were generally high-spirited, grounded in their beliefs. They minded their own business, followed their goals and dreams. They witnessed, or even experienced abundance, and paid little attention to things that they felt did not concern them, including foreign affairs.