Aspects Of Identity In Rule Of The Bone By Russell Banks

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Recommended: Cultural influences on self identity

Identity, in general, is the way people are molded through the experiences of one’s life. The text Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks portrays the validity of the quote by Bernice Johnson Region “Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are”. Aspects of one’s life is determined by multiple influential factors, that may result in positive or even negative effects such as family, cultural/social expectations, class structure and social inequality, and race.

Firstly, an essential aspect of one’s identity is formed early on in one’s life, through one’s family. One’s family can ultimately affect them positively or negatively and can mold that person into something that they are not. The following is an example of this. “Boy slays family and self. I’d started having these incredibly realistic visions of firing my niner at my stepfather” (Banks, 227). The quote uses the literary device diction to express the character’s struggles and emotions through the use of words. Displays his broken relationship with his family especially his stepfather. Another display of this broken relationship between Bone and his family is when Bone made his mother to choose him or his stepfather. “You-you’re-you’re just a terrible son! She sputtered and she started to cry but more from being mad than sad” …show more content…

A major factor in one’s life because of the unjust views of certain races. Also certain tendencies people have towards certain races. What comes along with race is stereotypes and biased. That is displayed in the novel by Bone being a drug user, he is white. Another display of stereotypes and biased would be Bone’s stepfather Ken, who is an alcoholic, sexually abusive sicko. These are all prejudged assumes based off of one thing, that is a race. A person race determining their identity for them. Not character or morals, values but a sheer lone fact of their

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