The Lost Identity as the Predicament of Modern Man in W.H. Auden's'The Unknown Citizen’

Abstract

The most precious possession of man is his identity. One toils for the greater part of his life to found and sustain it. But in the modern era of machines and technological development man is on the verge of losing it. Unconsciously a person takes for granted the teachings of the society and devotes his energy to build his identity in the socially directed way. What all his effort brings is his ‘social identity.’ But in the process, his ‘self’ is lost. Though he remains blissfully unaware of the fact, he becomes an object of the society by losing his subjective entity. He loses himself amidst the crowd, and becomes one among the many. He loses his ability to think, and with that his freedom. He is reduced to a follower of the system. In this way, he becomes a non-entity.