Indefinable Identity One's identity is never truly shaped. There are some parts of a person that they have no control over and there are others where they can decide who they want to be. Undiscovered parts of oneself shine through at different moments during a lifetime, therefore, people are always discovering their true selves. This is evident in Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, where Henry continues to discover himself throughout many difficult times, as he was a Chinese boy raised by a "one-man Cultural Revolution[ist]" (ford 137) during World War II. Henry goes through many difficulties, from being picked on at an all white prep school to being disowned by his parents for falling in love with a Japanese girl. In all
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Henry's identity is shown through self when he states his reasons for leaving his home in America to go to China in the quote, "Not for him. Not for Keiko. But because he needed a place to start from" (Ford 251). The use of repetition within syntax "not for" stresses the fact that Henry's identity is shaped through deteriorating familial relationships and friendships, but more importantly, through self-realization. Although Henry's parental relationships and his relationship with Keiko had an effect on his identity, Henry's identity was majorly effected by who he was as a person. In order for Henry's true identity to shine through, he had to first find himself, aside from his environmental influences. Finding one's true identity is difficult when one is constantly surrounded by positive and negative environments. Another struggle that leads to self realization is choosing which part of society one should conform to. This is shown through the metaphor, where Whitman compares his past to himself, in the quote, from the poem "Song of Myself". This is where the speaker struggles in deciding whether to conform to his environment or be his own person, "Battles, the horrors of frantically war, the fever of doubtful news, the fitful events; These come to me days and nights and go from me again, but they are not me myself" (Whitman 57-59). Whitman's use of metaphor comparing his past surroundings to himself show the theme that one's identity is formed during their adolescence and is effected by their environment. Throughout one's life, a person is surrounded by people and situations that can, and will, have an effect on their identity. Whitman conveys through the metaphor
Henry's identity is shown through self when he states his reasons for leaving his home in America to go to China in the quote, "Not for him. Not for Keiko. But because he needed a place to start from" (Ford 251). The use of repetition within syntax "not for" stresses the fact that Henry's identity is shaped through deteriorating familial relationships and friendships, but more importantly, through self-realization. Although Henry's parental relationships and his relationship with Keiko had an effect on his identity, Henry's identity was majorly effected by who he was as a person. In order for Henry's true identity to shine through, he had to first find himself, aside from his environmental influences. Finding one's true identity is difficult when one is constantly surrounded by positive and negative environments. Another struggle that leads to self realization is choosing which part of society one should conform to. This is shown through the metaphor, where Whitman compares his past to himself, in the quote, from the poem "Song of Myself". This is where the speaker struggles in deciding whether to conform to his environment or be his own person, "Battles, the horrors of frantically war, the fever of doubtful news, the fitful events; These come to me days and nights and go from me again, but they are not me myself" (Whitman 57-59). Whitman's use of metaphor comparing his past surroundings to himself show the theme that one's identity is formed during their adolescence and is effected by their environment. Throughout one's life, a person is surrounded by people and situations that can, and will, have an effect on their identity. Whitman conveys through the metaphor