ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the enactment of identity through memory in a gendered framework. Memory is a main focus in A Kind of Alaska; the chapter examines wider gender-political issues in Pinter by considering identity and memory in this play. First, the conflict between male and female authority is considered through feminist theory. The second section examines the relation between memory and physical existence through Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological theories. Finally, the political aspect of the play is reflected on through the needs and inadequacies of Deborah’s situation, which could represent those of many women.
