The short story “Identities” by W.D. Valgardson details the identity crisis on an unnamed protagonist. To emphasize this concept, the author employs the usage of contrast. From the start of the story, it becomes evident to the reader that the main protagonist is a member of the middle to upper class of a first world country. This inference is supported when the author writes ,“ Always, there were salmon tins glinting with silver… hand painted signs instructing purchasers to deposit twenty-five or fifty cents”. Through this description, the reader envisions a typical suburban neighborhood consisting of identical houses inhabited by the stereotypical family. However, this setting is contrasted by the impoverished neighborhood where “The houses are squat, as though they …show more content…
were taller and have, slowly, sunk into the ground”. By achieving the pinnacle of the American Dream, the protagonist inadvertently loses his own personal identity which is subsequently replaced by one fabricated from society's norms.
As a result, he becomes complacent with his mundane life and becomes consumed with the idea of creating his own identity; jilting his family and institutionalized life in the process. Furthermore, the choice of the author to only describe the populous of the poorer neighborhood shows a contrast of lifestyle between that of the rich and poor. As most affluent people obtain their wealth in similar ways, their life stories cease to possess an element of individualism. On the other hand, those who end up becoming impoverished each have their own stories of how they descended to the bottom of the social hierarchy. Whether it be from an abusive childhood to financial complications, the stories of the impecunious are dissimilar to another. Ultimately, the protagonists death at the hands of an inexperienced police officer is a result of contrast. Appearing as “... an unshaven man in blue jeans” who is driving an expensive Mercedes Benz, the main character’s unsophisticated attire resulted in the presence of an aura of non congruence. When sighted by law enforcement, the contrast between the car and disheveled protagonist resulted in the rookie police officer to insinuate that the Mercedes Benz was
stolen. It is at this time when the threshold to the point of no return has been crossed; the main character having lost his visual identity as moneyed individual and adopting that of a lowly criminal. In an attempt to prove innocence, the principle figure reaching for his wallet is interpreted as an attempt to draw a weapon and is responded to with the constable opening fire.
A great difference between the two neighborhoods are the amounts of cleanliness, such as the one he explores in has "fragments of glass, chocolate bar wrappers… and cracked sidewalks with edges of stiff grass." In variation the area he resides in contains "no unkempt vacant lots." The tidy community holds "unattended stands piled high" containing produce, whereas the other has "seedy-looking grocery stores" with "windows covered in hand-painted signs and vertical metal bars." The houses in his community
Mark Peterson’s 1994 photograph, Image of Homelessness, compares the everyday life of the working class to the forgotten life of the lowest class in society. In the image, the viewer can see a troubled homeless man wrapped in a cocoon of standard manipulated 12in by 12in cardboard boxes and yarn. The yarn is what is keeping the man and box tied to the red bench. This bench has chipped paint and is right in front of a black fence. Underneath the bench is dirt and debris from the dead fall leaves. The center focal point is the homeless man on the bench. He is the focal point because he is the greatest outsider known to man. Behind this man is vibrant life. There is pulsating people crossing the clean street, signs of life from all the advertising on store windows, families walking and blurred cars filled with
Allen, Brenda J. "Difference and Other Important Matters." Difference Matters: Communicating Social Identity. Long Grove, IL: Waveland, 2004. 1-22. Print.
People from different social classes lead different lives and treated differently by others. Society never promotes equality but categorizes them. In Bastard Out of Carolina, unfair treatment provokes characters who are in the bottom of the society and destroy them mentally. The author, Dorothy Allison tells in the novel of how anger could build up from the social inequities and personal insecurity that possibly burns one's true identity.
...stic things in order to live a better, more sound, and overall healthier life. Juxtaposition makes the audience want to follow through with the purpose. Exemplification causes the audience to realize the extent of their materialistic nature. A definition of the average homeless person’s terms allows him to build his ethos and consequently allow the audience to believe and follow his purpose. A majority of people are a part of the middle class, and this majority tends to judge the poor for their lifestyle whether it be through Dumpster diving or begging on the streets. However, as proven by the essay, these people have no right to do so because the poor do, in reality, have a greater sense of self than these middle-class people, similar to the rich. The middle-class citizens must no longer act the victim; instead, they should be working on becoming more sentimental.
The opening paragraph of the story contains a metaphorical passage: "I stared at it in the swinging light of the subway car, and in the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared outside"(349). This reference is significant because it is a contrast to the dismal society that the narrator and his brother Sonny live in. The darkness is the portrayal of the community of Harlem that is trapped, in their surroundings by physical, economic, and social barriers. The obvious nature of darkness has overcome the occupants of the Harlem community. The narrator, an algebra teacher, observes a depressing similarity between his students and his brother, Sonny. This is true because the narrator is fearful for his students falling into a life of crime and drugs, as did his brother. The narrator notes that the cruel realities of the streets have taken away the possible light from the lives of his brother and his students. The narrator makes an insightful connection between the darkness that Sonny faced and the darkness that the young boys are presently facing. This is illustrated in the following quote:
There are many factors that lead to the development of an individual’s identity. Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” illustrates an extreme change in Gregor Samsa’s external identity and the overall outward effect it has on the development of his family. While James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” illustrates a young man struggling to find his identity while being pushed around by what society and his family wants him to be. Both of these characters exhibit an underlying struggle of alienation but both also demonstrate a craving for belongingness. This conflict of trying to belong to something as well as satisfying the needs of society, has directly impacted their own individuality and the lives of the people around them.
As a school teacher and with limited income from teaching and a family to take care, the narrator is still stuck with housing project in Harlem, he cannot make a bail or hire the best lawyer to defend his brother. The distress from losing his baby daughter; the feeling of guilt, desperation and failure to care and protect his younger brother from the deadly touch of drugs weight down the narrator’s life. Damaged while getting out of Harlem’s trap, and like his descended father, the narrator sees the darkness in every corner of
In the book The Outsiders, written by S.E. Hinton, the lower-class, known as the Greasers, and the upper-class, known as Socs, deal with the animosity and daily struggles they have with each other. The novel focuses on the struggles and experiences with being an outsider to society and coping with the rich side of town through Ponyboy’s eyes. His life changes when tensions rise and many tragic things happen to the Greasers and Socs that will create agony in many but heroes in a few. The three topics addressed in this compelling novel are the fight between the rich and the poor, the power of friendship, and what it means to be a hero.
is the understanding of this "rich" character. In this study I will try to analyze some of his traits (invisibility-lack of indentity , blindness) and his journey from idealism to a grim realism about the racism that confronts him in the story.
Hughes's "On the Road" explores what happens when a powerless individual takes action on behalf of his conditions. The short story illustrates the desperation and consequent violent actions of one man's homeless plight on a snowy winter evening. "He stopped and stood on the sidewalk hunched over- hungry, sleepy, and cold- looking up and down." (Hughes 90) Here, Sargeant is without the basic necessities of life- shelter and food. Sargeant, hopeless and starving, wanders the lonesome streets and happens upon a church. However, the reverend of the church denies Sargeant access. Mullen explains further- "And in "On the Road" an unemployed black man, given a quick brush-off by a high-toned preacher, breaks into a church" (81) When the Reverend refuses to house him, Sargeant's desperation and powerlessness leads him to commit a rash action- tear down the church door to a street of on-lookers. Shortly after, Police come to take Sargeant away and put him behind bars, where he reminisces on his actions. Had Sargeant simply had the basic means of survival, food and shelter, he would not have had done out of desperation. In other words, Sageant's lack of security- food, shelter, and warmth, lead him to take violent actions in attempt to obtain it.
On the train he is aware of the respect that other blacks hold for him, because he is a man of God, though, in the city, his. social standing demonstrates little significance.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Kevin Kinghorn’s “Questions of Identity: Is the Hulk the Same Person as Bruce Banner?” reflects on the unanswered question of personal identity and what makes us who we are. Kinghorn references many different philosophers in trying to discover if Bruce Banner is the same as the big green Hulk. Kinghorn helps the reader visualize what he is thinking by placing the them in the Judge and Jury’s place in a criminal trial with Bruce Banner being accused of crimes committed by the Hulk. He starts out by asking questions to the reader and using the “bodily identity” to compare the two.
If an individual is familiar with their surrounding “they are more likely to help” (Altruism and Helping Behavior. Print). In the essay, the authors state “the scene of the crime, the streets, in middle class society “represents all the vulgar and perilous in life” (Milgram, Stanley, and Paul Hollander. Paralyzed Witnesses: The Murder They Heard. Print.). In society, the streets, especially at night, represents the dangerous and negative sides of society due to the crimes and chaos that occur on the streets (gangs, drive-by shootings, robberies, murders, large crowds walking, etc.). The crimes and dangers of the streets cause many people to fear being on the streets alone which leads to external conflicts. When the murder was occurring, the witnesses’ attitudes of the streets prevented them from calling the police due to the fear of the streets and since the witnesses were middle-class, they believed that Genovese was poor, a criminal, or someone who has nothing else to do and was expecting for the=is to eventually
External pressures affect everyone constantly throughout their whole lives. Some of these pressures appear more prominently in an individual’s life than others, making them more influential to that individual. Specific factors tend to affect people rather positively and can raise their spirits up to the sky, while others can appear so negatively that they knock someone down like bowling pins. In “Two Kinds” the main character faces the difficulty of being Chinese and her mother’s expectations because of their race. The narrator in “The Jacket” deals with not having enough money and therefore society automatically categorizes him as poor and lower class. Lastly, the protagonist in “The House on Mango Street” overcomes the discrimination with her gender. Race, class, and gender negatively affect the main characters in