Identity in Cynthia Ozick's A Mercenary

Abstract

This paper seeks to examine the limits and complexities of identity in Cynthia Ozick's novella, A Mercenary. The paper focuses on the protagonist, Stanislav Lushinski, a Polish Jew who continually attempts to drown his Jewish identity by impersonating and fabricating a new identity, that of an African. Wearing the mask of this created African identity, Lushinski rejects his true Jewish identity, background and traditions. He seeks to conceal his identity as a Jew by eliminating his painful and gruesome past, which has had a lasting influence on his whole life. The paper also shows how the concept of identity applies to Lushinski's African assistant, Morris Ngambe, who, like Lushinksi, is estranged and detached from his African culture and heritage, and attempts, in vain, to assimilate, like Lushinski, into a new identity. The paper concludes that both cannot fully assimilate into a new identity, especially Lushinski, whose African identity will always be precarious and fluctuating due to the powerful influence of his Jewish identity and past.