His final thoughts at the conclusion of the essay are significant because we know with certainty that Theresa would have accepted him had he been honest with her and himself. The narrator thinks of how things might have turned out between the two of them and, with a little sarcasm, he considers the meals they might have concocted had they remained friends over the years. Theresa is seared into the narrator's mind because she is the one that first uttered anything to him about being gay and, in doing so, she prodded the narrator into facing the truth about himself. This honesty about himself is more difficult to face that the narrator can imagine and this is why Theresa is important. Had she never said anything to him, he might have tried to mask the truth longer, stalling the process of discovering himself. Theresa was a catalyst for truth and honesty. Self-acceptance lies at the heart of the story. Truth can only be discovered when one learns to accept oneself. The narrator illustrates how difficult this can be in a world that is filled with stereotypes and misgivings about sexuality. Self-acceptance is a journey. The narrator's realization that he is gay is highlighted at the party. The party only reinforces what the narrator already knows but is afraid to admit. The fact that he cannot kiss a girl without the image of Grady entering his mind is reason enough for him to stop wondering about his sexuality. However, he is living at a time when it is not commonly acceptable behavior to be gay and the negativity associated with being gay is overwhelming. When our narrator admits to hearing a "clack of tiny sparks" (288), he is indicating that the sexual sparks he should feel for women are somewhere "over there" and nowhere near him. When he says that he sees the sparks "flare here and there in the dark like meager, short-lived stars" (288), he is reaffirming the notion that he is gay and attraction to women is virtually nonexistent in his world. The conclusion of the essay...
The point of the essay is to convey that, finally, our narrator has learned to accept himself as he is and we have no reason to assume that he is the least bit unhappy about it. This journey is not without difficulty but it ends with greater appreciation of self. Because the narrator's journey is one of an inner struggle that last for years, we can appreciate the acceptance he feels at the end of the essay. It is only when the narrator accepts the truth about himself does the world feel comfortable. Self-acceptance only arrives when we can not only be honest with ourselves but be comfortable with ourselves as well.
Identity Self-identity or self-concept is a multidimensional personal construct that refers to one's individual perception of themselves in relation to a number of different characteristics or situations such as gender role, sexuality, racial identity, and so forth (Shavelson et al. 1976). Social-identity is the portion of the individual self-identity that has to do with perceived membership in a personally-relevant social group or social-identity can refer to the collective identity of the
This is especially true with Sethe. She realizes more self-awareness when knows she is free. Her selfishness is finally right in her eyes and this sense of power allows her to discover different aspects of life, including passion. She comes to realize beauty and love. She even learn to let go of her past and she tells Beloved, "You got to learn more sense than that" (130). Sethe does
Cheesman (2002) conducted a study on Karen identity in the Union of Myanmar with regards to historical and social conditions. The study found that Karen identity is a relatively difficult identity because individuals from this ethnic background do not have a common language, material attributes, religion and culture. While most of the existing assessments of this ethnic identity have been carried out in Thailand, it is largely influenced by historical
Interestingly other sociologists take a different approach, noting social identity is many things, inclusive of the foundational "aspects of ones selfhood" (Brubaker & Cooper, 2000: 8). Self-identity seems the opposite note Brubaker & Cooper (2000) of solidarity and rather is more the result of "interactive development" amongst people that share similar beliefs, experiences and opinions. It is important to note however when one reflect on self-identity the many contexts in
Introduction According to Phinney and Alipuria (1987), ethnic self-identity is the sense of self that an individual feels; being a member of an ethnic group, along with the behavior and attitudes with that feeling (p. 36). The authors point out that the development of ethnic identity is an evolution from the point of an ethnic identity that is not examined through an exploration period, so as to resonate with a specified
90s American Popular Culture and Self-Identity Formation Popular culture is the main force in America; it reaches our classrooms, cars and, even homes and influences what people think, watch, listen to, wear, and buy. Popular culture can be quite addictive, annoying, offensive, controversial, and pleasurable. It can also be difficult and almost impossible to avoid. In many cases it is challenging for us to differentiate between popular culture and the rest
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