Danny Gardener Identity Analysis
In this fiction, Danny Gardener presents a story revolving around Elliot Caprice. He is a white-negro who faces lots of challenges in his life. His skin color becomes an issue to him right from his childhood up to adulthood. As the protagonist of the story, Elliot dominates the story right from the beginning up to the end. His experiences shed light on the concept of identity in the fiction. The purpose of this paper is to present a critical analysis of the theme of identity in the novel. The theme of identity features prominently in the story. Danny uses Elliot to show how individuals struggle to find their place in the text. When Eliot is born, he grows up as a light-skinned individual. It is quite challenging because the society has not
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The fact that he was neither a white nor a black made it extremely difficult for him to survive. His efforts to identify with the black person and whites did not favor him at all times. He had to feel a pinch of discrimination any given time. For example, when he joins the police force, he does not enjoy his job just like his white colleagues. Despite distinguishing himself as a competent officer, no one recognizes him. Instead, everyone especially the whites treat him contemptuously. It is for this reason that he ends up in jail for the offenses that he did not commit. He had to languish in prison until his friend George secured his release. Otherwise, he might have served for a long time or even died in prison. Elliot's struggle to attain his identity does not end in prison. It follows him to Chicago to which he returns upon his release. Although this is his home, he cannot fit into it. He does not identify with the new environment because it does not appeal to him anymore. He is upset because of the miserable death of the man who raised him when he was still young. He feels that he does not identify with the life here (Danny 28). He decides to look for a job from a Jewish family. Maybe, he settles on the Jews because he feels uncomfortable with the whites and black
The fact that he was neither a white nor a black made it extremely difficult for him to survive. His efforts to identify with the black person and whites did not favor him at all times. He had to feel a pinch of discrimination any given time. For example, when he joins the police force, he does not enjoy his job just like his white colleagues. Despite distinguishing himself as a competent officer, no one recognizes him. Instead, everyone especially the whites treat him contemptuously. It is for this reason that he ends up in jail for the offenses that he did not commit. He had to languish in prison until his friend George secured his release. Otherwise, he might have served for a long time or even died in prison. Elliot's struggle to attain his identity does not end in prison. It follows him to Chicago to which he returns upon his release. Although this is his home, he cannot fit into it. He does not identify with the new environment because it does not appeal to him anymore. He is upset because of the miserable death of the man who raised him when he was still young. He feels that he does not identify with the life here (Danny 28). He decides to look for a job from a Jewish family. Maybe, he settles on the Jews because he feels uncomfortable with the whites and black