Metamorphosis Into the Ancient Myth——An Interpretation of a Kiowa indian's Identity Search in The Ancient Child

This thesis researches into The Ancient Child,one of the representative works of N Scott Momaday,a representative writer of Native American Renaissance,focusing on the identity search of Set,protagonist of the novel.It interprets Set's process of identity search by analyzing his confusion about his identity in white society,discussing his integration with the ancient Kiowa Indian myth and his final physical and spiritual rebirth within the framework of American Indian mythological tradition.On the basis of such an interpretation,this thesis aims to argue for the author's firm belief in the mythological tradition of his Indian ancestors,thereby attempting to enrich researches on Momaday's works from a new perspective.