Identity; in many ways, identity is the most
difficult truths about our individuals selves to understand. With so many influences-
society, culture, and those around us-it can be challenging to understand your
own identity. Although there are several ways interpret what exactly an “identity”
is, the general consensus is that identity is who a person is at a deeper level: a combination of who one
interprets themselves to be and how he/she presents themselves to those around
them. This identity, to truly know and understand who you are, is not found or learned easily. If it were, it’s
unlikely everything from classic American novels to Disney movies would feature
characters grappling with finding their own identity.
Perhaps no classic American novel does a better job
at illustrating the struggle to find one’s true self than Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.
What elements help create a person's identity?
As I said earlier, identity is influenced by many
things, particularly society, culture, and those around us. Throughout Invisible
Man society, those around the protagonist clearly shape who he is. With
each new person that comes into his life-from Bledsoe to the members of the
Brotherhood-the protagonist tries to find a place for himself that alongside them.
With Bledsoe, the protagonist desperately works to impress him. In many ways,
Bledsoe is a symbol of success to the protagonist and much of his early
identity was shaped around wanting to become a man as great as Bledsoe. Like Bledsoe,
he “hated [those living in the former slave quarters], [he] believed in the
principles of the [college] with all [his] heart and soul.” (99). Bledsoe
looked negatively on less educated black people. Unlike him, they were not able
to integrate themselves so well into white society and were thus not as great
as him. This negativity towards other, less conforming black people and the
involvement with oneself influenced the protagonist’s own identity and led him
to become a reflection a man whose life and status he believed to be an ideal.
The Brotherhood, who the protagonist was around for
a large period of time, quite literally gave him a new identity by renaming him.
Although the new name they gift him with was never revealed, the protagonist
does explain in multiple ways that joining the Brotherhood was a new birth for him.
The Brotherhood welcomed him in and along with the name change they also gave
him a job, new responsibilities, and an audience to listen to him. “It was a
newness too subtle to put into thought, but there it was. [He] was becoming
someone else. (335)” He felt a new self with the Brotherhood, “a new beginning”
(335), and his identity changed because of it. He presented and often felt like
a leader and bastion of personal responsibility. For him, the Brotherhood was
another birth-another chance to become what he was meant to be. Those around
him, the other members of the Brotherhood, helped him become a great orator and
motivator. When the protagonist was working for the Brotherhood, he was who he
was because of the environment they created and fostered around him.
After taking a closer look at Invisible Man, it becomes pretty clear that who we are as
individuals is often shaped by the people we come into contact with. In many
ways, we are just a collection of traits from those around us-a cornucopia of
those who we have been the closest to. And with this having been said, who are you?
Hi Maria! Let me begin by saying that I really like the opening line of your blog post. Although it is very simple, it still finds a way to grab the readers attention. I also appreciate the fact that you talked about Invisible Man instead of Native Son because that seemed to be the trend among some other blogs I have read. I also love how you went beyond using just a picture, but you used a video. It is different and the video actually suited what you we saying. Finally, I want to say that I like your closing line as well. Ending with a question may sometimes be unsatisfying to the reader because it is a cliffhanger, however, your question made perfect sense in the place you put it. Hope to read more from you!
ReplyDeleteHey! The moment I opened up your blog and saw the inserted clip of Mulan's reflection of her identity, I knew that this would be an interesting read. Honestly, I agree with the way in which you perceive identity. It's something so complex that many people fail to uncover it throughout their lifetime. Your discussion about the manipulative people that the protagonist of Invisible Man came in contact with truly depicts the way in which we can be shaped by others around us. Overall, I enjoyed your blog post and felt like your closing sentence helped captivate my attention. All of a sudden the question that I was originally posing characters in these novels was boomeranged right back at me.
ReplyDeleteThe opening to your blog post was very interesting. It's also good that you stepped outside the norm and talked about Invisible Man instead of Native Son. I agree with your theory that who we are is shaped by the people we come in contact with because people play a huge role in our lives.
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