There is a long tradition of constructing national identity and images in the history of American literature with "American Creed" as the core of American character. Early American literature introduces Christian values into the shaping of national identity and passes on Protestant ethics and Enlightenment values. Many writers, such as W. Whitman, crystallize individualism and pioneering spirit in their works, contributing tremendously to the construction of American identity and images. However, contemporary literature demonstrates the rise of cultural rebellion that overthrows the traditional pattern of identity construction, while the emergence of cultural conservatism in the late 1990s harbingers the literary reconfirmation of traditional values in fusing construction of national identity with representation of American images. The current challenges to the national identification posed by multi-culturalism prompt contemporary writers to play an important role in rethinking and reconstructing national identity through their creative writings.
