Title: Who is Sam Fisher?: On the Theme of Poetry in A Free Life

Abstract: Sam Fisher is a very important character in Ha Jin’s novel A Free Life. In this novel, Ha Jin takes Allen Ginsberg as the prototype for the character, on the one hand, to emphasize his influence upon Wu Nan in his pursuit of poetry writing, and on the other hand, to increase the credibility of the protagonist and the story. To some extent, Wu Nan’s dream of being a poet cannot be realized without Sam. Meanwhile, the complex attitude of Wu Nan towards religion and his pursuit of being a poet illustrates that, for him, poetry means belief, freedom, and the American dream.

Keywords: Sam Fisher, poetry, religion, freedom, American dream

Author: Kai Wang, Lecturer, School of Foreign Studies, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China.