As seen throughout Julius’ interactions in Open City, Julius has a difficult time identifying his place in the world. He consistently reflects upon humans at a distance: “To be alive, it seemed to me, as I stood there in all kinds of sorrow, was to be both original and reflection, and to be dead was to be split off, to be reflection alone.” (Cole 192). This particular quote depicts Julius’ ability to distance himself and reflect upon humans in general, while also shedding light on his own identity. In this moment his distance is not fooling the reader; his narration, although broad, easily allows the reader to see how Julius truly feels about himself and his transnational identity: he is an original and a reflection. This duality among original
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Michael is most confident with his identity when he is on the Oronsay--which, although is a physical space, does not stay stagnant in one particular environment. He is happy with his personal relationships, learns about different people and their correlating cultures and experiences, and gains important perspective from this. With that being said, the fact that he is the most grounded in a fluid space such as the Oronsay interrogates globalization and its effects. During Michael’s journey and, in the theory of globalization, it is clear that understanding different cultures and ideas is incredibly beneficial. However, once Michael lands in England, he is completely lost identity-wise; a part of him is lacking and a sense of foreignness washes over him. “And yet, when I did meet my mother eventually, on the docks at Tilbury, she had already become ‘another,’ a stranger, whose fold I would cautiously enter” (Ondaatje 115). Even though Michael is well off socio-economically and blends into his destination more so than, say, his friends from Ceylon, he still suffers from an alien-esque feeling. This correlates with the interrogation of globalization and its effects on transnational people seen in Open City: those who share new cultures and ideas are the ones who are left feeling
Michael is most confident with his identity when he is on the Oronsay--which, although is a physical space, does not stay stagnant in one particular environment. He is happy with his personal relationships, learns about different people and their correlating cultures and experiences, and gains important perspective from this. With that being said, the fact that he is the most grounded in a fluid space such as the Oronsay interrogates globalization and its effects. During Michael’s journey and, in the theory of globalization, it is clear that understanding different cultures and ideas is incredibly beneficial. However, once Michael lands in England, he is completely lost identity-wise; a part of him is lacking and a sense of foreignness washes over him. “And yet, when I did meet my mother eventually, on the docks at Tilbury, she had already become ‘another,’ a stranger, whose fold I would cautiously enter” (Ondaatje 115). Even though Michael is well off socio-economically and blends into his destination more so than, say, his friends from Ceylon, he still suffers from an alien-esque feeling. This correlates with the interrogation of globalization and its effects on transnational people seen in Open City: those who share new cultures and ideas are the ones who are left feeling