Identity In Fish Cheeks, Superman And The Necklace

One’s identity resembles the lifelong outfit he or she decides to put on. One chooses what clothes to wear and also what one’s identity is each and every day, but just in seconds that reputation or attire could be ruined. One’s identity is similar. A person’s identity is a huge part of his or her daily life and all it takes is one bad decision to ruin it, yet many other things play into creating someone’s identity. . In the short stories “Fish Cheeks”, “Superman and Me”, “More Facebook Friends, Fewer Real One’s, Says Cornell Study” and “The Necklace”, all have supporting evidence throughout the text which will support how one’s identity is created. Close friends and family, culture, and outer appearance all play important roles towards

Who one spends personal time with can impact the way one portrays him or herself. For example, in the short story “ Superman and Me” written by Sherman Alexie, he states, “My father loved books, and since I loved my father with an aching devotion, I decided to love books as well” (1). This text supports that one’s identity is created by his or her’s family. Without Sherman Alexie’s father’s love for books, he might not have become a writer, and that is an important role in Alexie’s reputation and who he is today. Another example from the short story “More Facebook Friends, Fewer Real Ones, Says Cornell Study” is “We may ‘friend’ more people on Facebook, but we have fewer real friends’” ( Brashears 1). Brashears makes it clear that true friends are the people who one spends the most time around and can simply count on. If people put their trust in those who are not positive influences, then that attitude will reflect on one’s reputation and later add on to one’s identity. In both of these short stories one’s identity was created by his or her’s family and friends. The people who one chooses to be around will rub off on his or her’s

A commonly said line is “Never judge a book by it’s cover”,which is explaining to him or her that nobody should not look at one’s outer appearance, yet in today’s society that is sometimes the first judgement one makes of people. In the short story “The Necklace”, the main character Matilda refuses to be seen without the most fashionable apparel. “In truth”, says Matilda, “I am ashamed. I haven’t any jewelry” (Maupassant 13). Matilda is assuming that her friends at the fancy affair will make assumptions of who she truly is based off of her looks and not her personality. Another example is from the short story“Fish Cheeks”, written by Amy Tan. The shy, young girl has a tiny crush on the minister’s son, Robert, and wants the Christmas Eve dinner to be perfect. After the meal, Amy’s mother told her, “You want to be the same as American girls on the outside” (Tan 1). Amy is thinking that the minister’s son will care more about her outer beauty than what is on the inside. She assumed that Robert would look at her identity and think right back to what she looks like on the outside, not the inner