20th Century American Identity
Issues of identity in the 19th century and 20th century American Literature In the American Literature the major issue in every writer’s works was identity. Many people struggled to find their own identity. Some succeeded, some failed. The same issue will appear in the following works. In Good country people, the main character Joy/Hulga suffers an identity crisis just like Dee, from Everyday use by Alice Walker and the Swede, from The Blue Hotel by Stephen Crane. All of these characters have distinct features which makes them unique and appealing to the reader’s eye. Each one of them had suffered or passed through painful experiences in order to find their inner selves. The first appearance of Hulga, as Joy, came through the thoughts
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that the narrator attributed to her mother, Mrs. Hopewell: “Joy was her daughter, a large blonde girl who had an artificial leg. Mrs. Hopewell thought of her as a child though she was thirty-two years old and highly educated” (pag.1). Through her new identity, she can be described in a few words: as an unattractive woman with an artificial leg, which she gained it through a terrible hunting accident, old enough to be independent, despite living with her mother. The name change shows that the main character has, in spite of herself, absorbed the values of her mother:
"She had a vision of the name working like the ugly sweating Vulcan who stayed in the furnace and to whom, presumably, the goddess had to come when called" (pag3). and in the same time it expresses her independence in choosing her own identity. This change was also seen as one her “higher creative act” (pag3). Through this transformation she shows her hostility against her mother, who fails to understand who her daughter is: “If you want me, here I am—LIKE I AM,” (pag.2). “One her major triumphs”, as the narrators says, “was that her mother had not been able to turn her dust into Joy, but the greater one was that she had been able to turn it herself into Hulga.” In the same way Dee attempts to distance herself as much as possible from the life she lived with her mother and sister. She changes her name into Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo in order to escape "being named after the people who oppress me" (pag 318). Her name descends from her old ancestors and could be traced back even prior to the civil war. She believes that her new name, Wangero, hold more power and significance than her older one, Dee, which was passed down through four generations. Dee sees her given name as a symbol of a racist, abusive world, as opposed to a tribute to a long line of strong women. Dee’s decision to take on a new name shows how confused she is with her own culture. In comparison with the previous two female writers, the author of the short story The Blue Hotel doesn’t give his characters names. He prefers to use stereotypical types, like the Easterner, the cowboy, the Swede, instead of names. In his short story, the Swede is the major source of conflict. The external conflicts which he faces were caused by internal conflicts. The Easterner finds the cause of the Swede’s madness when he says, “"...this man has been reading cheap novels, and he thinks he 's right out in the middle of it-the shootin ' and stabbin ' and all" (pag33). The Swede thinks that he is in constant danger and is under the impression that everyone wants to kill him: "He trembled and turned pale near the corners of his mouth."(29). The Swede was so afraid that he went upstairs to pack his bag and leave, but was stopped by Scully. These characters are seen as outcasts because they fail in their way to integrate in society. Hulga fails to integrate in her town and manages to separate herself from those “good country people” through her education, and her (non)beliefs. From her mother, Mrs. Hopewell, the readers find out that the main character is “highly educated” and that she has a “Ph.D. in philosophy” (pag 1, 4). Because of her intellect she fells superior to the wide world. She hates the country and despite of her weak heart, “she would be in a university lecturing to people who knew what she was talking about” (pag.4). Even her own mother can’t relate to her. She even thought that “it would have been better if the child [Hulga] had not taken the Ph.D.” (pag4). Hulga’s incredible intelligence made it very hard for her to integrate with other people. She realizes that no one understands her, even her own mother, so she adopted a pessimistic view of life that assured she won’t be bothered about it. She doesn’t want to have to deal with the rest of society who were below her, so she decided to become the type of person that everyone knows is there but ignores. In this ways she can go on with her life in her own little world here she won’t have to deal with the felling of rejection. In comparison with Hulga, Dee managed to integrate into society, but not her own.
She is also received a proper education, but didn’t received a Ph.D. in philosophy like Joy/Hulga. Education has separate Dee from her family, and also from her true self. Her thirsty of knowledge has led to her alienation from her family and to a misinterpretation of her own tradition. In the short story, Everyday use, Dee is seen as a materialistic, complex and modern woman. Her vision of culture and heritage, which is represented by the quilt, depends on “trendiness” of the thing. Her mother described her daughter, in a paragraph, as
“used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks’ habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant under her voice.... pressed us to her with the serious way she read, to shove us away at just the moment, like dimwits we seemed to understand” (pag.316). Heritage is an important part of a person’s life and it can tell the person where it came from and in the same time helps the person to reach its destiny. In the short story, Dee misunderstood the meaning of heritage. She knows very well what she wants to do when she attempted to “take” the quilts which her mother had promised to her sister,
Maggie:
“"Maggie can 't appreciate these quilts... she 'd probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use” (320) Wangero believes that using the quilts for wrong purpose, she will respect her legacy. Her desire in using them as decoration is “really not quite so different from the white capitalist cashing in on ethnic artworks" (Sexton, par. 4). By doing of this she is rejecting and dishonors her own cultural heritage. Even the Swede is seen as an outcast. Because of his inner conflicts, he fails to integrate with the other at the hotel. He also lack of culture knowledge. Coming from the East to a different area, the Old West, the Swede thought that he will found the typical Wild West with violence, danger, gunshots. In reality he found a more civilized, modernized Wild West which has consists of schools, churches, electricity. At the beginning he scared/ afraid but after the discussion with Scully, the owner of the hotel, he becomes more arrogant and violent. When the Swede returned at table, where everyone was playing a game of cards, he starts a fight with one of his friends. He beats Johnnie because he cheated at the card game. After the fight he feels more confident, leaves the hotel and goes in town where he meets his end. He dies in fight with a gambler who refuses to have a drink with him:
“What! You won’t drink with me, you little fool? I’ll make you then! I’ll make you! ” The Swede had grasped the gambler fiercely at the throat, and was dragging him from his chair. (…) then a long knife appeared in the hand of the gambler. (…)The Swede fell with a cry of greatest surprise” (pag.43). Not only the Swede was a terrible ending, even Joy/Hulga have to face almost the same situation. Meeting Manley Pointer, the Bible salesman, she thought she could outsmart by using her intellect. She followed Manley Pointer, the Bible salesman, across the meadow into a storage barn in order to seduce him, but failed. He managed to convince the girl to give him the glasses and the wooden leg which were part of her soul and body as act of love for him.When she allowed Manley to remove her wooden leg, her first experience was rely on somebody else besides herself. From the moment he deserted here, lying in the hay, without her leg and glasses, Hulga realized for the first time that she managed to see her human condition. On the other hand, Dee’s ending was tragic as the previous characters. She left upset because her mother decided to give the quilts to the sister Maggie, who truly understands the importance of the heritage. Identity is the development of the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity in a particular stage of life in which individual characteristics are possessed and by which a person is recognized or known. As we seen above, one can say that every character is unique in creating an identity in his own way.
Bibliography:
1. O 'Connor, Flannery- “Good Country People”, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1971, New York
2. Walker, Alice- “Everyday Use” (1973)
3. Crane, Stephen- “The Blue Hotel” (1898), Collier 's Weekly
4. Sexton, Timothy. "Identity Confusion in Alice Walker 's "Everyday Use."" Nov 12 2007.
that the narrator attributed to her mother, Mrs. Hopewell: “Joy was her daughter, a large blonde girl who had an artificial leg. Mrs. Hopewell thought of her as a child though she was thirty-two years old and highly educated” (pag.1). Through her new identity, she can be described in a few words: as an unattractive woman with an artificial leg, which she gained it through a terrible hunting accident, old enough to be independent, despite living with her mother. The name change shows that the main character has, in spite of herself, absorbed the values of her mother:
"She had a vision of the name working like the ugly sweating Vulcan who stayed in the furnace and to whom, presumably, the goddess had to come when called" (pag3). and in the same time it expresses her independence in choosing her own identity. This change was also seen as one her “higher creative act” (pag3). Through this transformation she shows her hostility against her mother, who fails to understand who her daughter is: “If you want me, here I am—LIKE I AM,” (pag.2). “One her major triumphs”, as the narrators says, “was that her mother had not been able to turn her dust into Joy, but the greater one was that she had been able to turn it herself into Hulga.” In the same way Dee attempts to distance herself as much as possible from the life she lived with her mother and sister. She changes her name into Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo in order to escape "being named after the people who oppress me" (pag 318). Her name descends from her old ancestors and could be traced back even prior to the civil war. She believes that her new name, Wangero, hold more power and significance than her older one, Dee, which was passed down through four generations. Dee sees her given name as a symbol of a racist, abusive world, as opposed to a tribute to a long line of strong women. Dee’s decision to take on a new name shows how confused she is with her own culture. In comparison with the previous two female writers, the author of the short story The Blue Hotel doesn’t give his characters names. He prefers to use stereotypical types, like the Easterner, the cowboy, the Swede, instead of names. In his short story, the Swede is the major source of conflict. The external conflicts which he faces were caused by internal conflicts. The Easterner finds the cause of the Swede’s madness when he says, “"...this man has been reading cheap novels, and he thinks he 's right out in the middle of it-the shootin ' and stabbin ' and all" (pag33). The Swede thinks that he is in constant danger and is under the impression that everyone wants to kill him: "He trembled and turned pale near the corners of his mouth."(29). The Swede was so afraid that he went upstairs to pack his bag and leave, but was stopped by Scully. These characters are seen as outcasts because they fail in their way to integrate in society. Hulga fails to integrate in her town and manages to separate herself from those “good country people” through her education, and her (non)beliefs. From her mother, Mrs. Hopewell, the readers find out that the main character is “highly educated” and that she has a “Ph.D. in philosophy” (pag 1, 4). Because of her intellect she fells superior to the wide world. She hates the country and despite of her weak heart, “she would be in a university lecturing to people who knew what she was talking about” (pag.4). Even her own mother can’t relate to her. She even thought that “it would have been better if the child [Hulga] had not taken the Ph.D.” (pag4). Hulga’s incredible intelligence made it very hard for her to integrate with other people. She realizes that no one understands her, even her own mother, so she adopted a pessimistic view of life that assured she won’t be bothered about it. She doesn’t want to have to deal with the rest of society who were below her, so she decided to become the type of person that everyone knows is there but ignores. In this ways she can go on with her life in her own little world here she won’t have to deal with the felling of rejection. In comparison with Hulga, Dee managed to integrate into society, but not her own.
She is also received a proper education, but didn’t received a Ph.D. in philosophy like Joy/Hulga. Education has separate Dee from her family, and also from her true self. Her thirsty of knowledge has led to her alienation from her family and to a misinterpretation of her own tradition. In the short story, Everyday use, Dee is seen as a materialistic, complex and modern woman. Her vision of culture and heritage, which is represented by the quilt, depends on “trendiness” of the thing. Her mother described her daughter, in a paragraph, as
“used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks’ habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant under her voice.... pressed us to her with the serious way she read, to shove us away at just the moment, like dimwits we seemed to understand” (pag.316). Heritage is an important part of a person’s life and it can tell the person where it came from and in the same time helps the person to reach its destiny. In the short story, Dee misunderstood the meaning of heritage. She knows very well what she wants to do when she attempted to “take” the quilts which her mother had promised to her sister,
Maggie:
“"Maggie can 't appreciate these quilts... she 'd probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use” (320) Wangero believes that using the quilts for wrong purpose, she will respect her legacy. Her desire in using them as decoration is “really not quite so different from the white capitalist cashing in on ethnic artworks" (Sexton, par. 4). By doing of this she is rejecting and dishonors her own cultural heritage. Even the Swede is seen as an outcast. Because of his inner conflicts, he fails to integrate with the other at the hotel. He also lack of culture knowledge. Coming from the East to a different area, the Old West, the Swede thought that he will found the typical Wild West with violence, danger, gunshots. In reality he found a more civilized, modernized Wild West which has consists of schools, churches, electricity. At the beginning he scared/ afraid but after the discussion with Scully, the owner of the hotel, he becomes more arrogant and violent. When the Swede returned at table, where everyone was playing a game of cards, he starts a fight with one of his friends. He beats Johnnie because he cheated at the card game. After the fight he feels more confident, leaves the hotel and goes in town where he meets his end. He dies in fight with a gambler who refuses to have a drink with him:
“What! You won’t drink with me, you little fool? I’ll make you then! I’ll make you! ” The Swede had grasped the gambler fiercely at the throat, and was dragging him from his chair. (…) then a long knife appeared in the hand of the gambler. (…)The Swede fell with a cry of greatest surprise” (pag.43). Not only the Swede was a terrible ending, even Joy/Hulga have to face almost the same situation. Meeting Manley Pointer, the Bible salesman, she thought she could outsmart by using her intellect. She followed Manley Pointer, the Bible salesman, across the meadow into a storage barn in order to seduce him, but failed. He managed to convince the girl to give him the glasses and the wooden leg which were part of her soul and body as act of love for him.When she allowed Manley to remove her wooden leg, her first experience was rely on somebody else besides herself. From the moment he deserted here, lying in the hay, without her leg and glasses, Hulga realized for the first time that she managed to see her human condition. On the other hand, Dee’s ending was tragic as the previous characters. She left upset because her mother decided to give the quilts to the sister Maggie, who truly understands the importance of the heritage. Identity is the development of the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity in a particular stage of life in which individual characteristics are possessed and by which a person is recognized or known. As we seen above, one can say that every character is unique in creating an identity in his own way.
Bibliography:
1. O 'Connor, Flannery- “Good Country People”, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1971, New York
2. Walker, Alice- “Everyday Use” (1973)
3. Crane, Stephen- “The Blue Hotel” (1898), Collier 's Weekly
4. Sexton, Timothy. "Identity Confusion in Alice Walker 's "Everyday Use."" Nov 12 2007.