Identity refers to what people identify themselves with; which is very much determined by the culture that people adopt. Culture on the other hand refers to the way of life that people have in their day-to-day activities. On this basis, therefore, the relationship between culture and the identity people acquire will be established in the study of the books, “Everyday Use”, “Goodman is Hard to Find” and “The Things they Carried”. A crucial study in the above literature books reveals the ultimate relationship between culture and the various identities people have (Black 74-80).
As it has been revealed in the above three books, culture plays a crucial role in determining people’s identities. More precisely the way people live and the life they adopt influences the kinds of identities they develop in their lives. For instance, the book “Everyday Use” depicts Maggie’s life in the rural area where traditions dominated their people’s lives; this led to the identity that she had of being very humble and attractive as a result of the experience she had from the home life. Based on the book; she comes out as a character in whom the culture and traditions within their home life had shaped so well. As a result, she remains a humble and very respective girl; on top of being beautiful and innocent which reflects the simple life lived in their home (O’Donovan 34-65).
More so, various lifestyles as shown in the three books to a great extend affect people’s perception of various phenomena in their day-to-day life. These perceptions are more based on the values and the regard that society has concerning certain things. On this basis, therefore; as shown very clearly from the various characters in the above three books; lifestyles and preferences help to shape people’s identities (Black 74-80).
For example as the book “Goodman is Hard to Find” asserts, the grandmother claims that ‘imperfects are made perfect’. These words denote that the grandmother’s Christian way has helped her to become more social and motherly, in her treatment of other people. Her change of life from traditional ways to a Christian way has also helped her overcome the many social evils she could have committed, before becoming a Christian. More precisely a change from one culture to another can lead to a change of identity, which follows a consequent change of lifestyle as it is shown in various characters in the above books (O’Donovan 34-65).
The things that people use in their day-to-day activities shape people’s identity in one way or another. People engage themselves in the use of various materials that in one way or another help in shaping their identities, which in the long run lead to the establishment of some values in people (Black 74-80).
For instance in the book “The Things they carried”; the personality of some individuals and the things that they associated themselves with helped to shape their identities. As the book depicts various characters’ identities are determined by the things they prioritize in their lives. As the statement ‘…the pocho that Ted carried was to be used later by his fellow soldiers to carry his dead body. This statement depicts in the book “Things they Carried”, where Ted was identifying himself with the ‘poncho to an extent of specifying the way it was to be used to carry him after his death (Black 74-80).
As it has been revealed in all the above three books, it has been evident that culture both material and non-material affects people’s life to the extent of shaping their identities. In this respect, therefore, it can be argued that culture and identity are inseparable in a way.
Works cited
Black, Richard. “Organizational Culture: Creating the Influence Needed for Strategic Success”. London: Rou ledge publishers. (2003): 74-80.
O’Donovan, Gabrielle. “The Corporate Culture Handbook: How to Plan, Implement and Measure a Successful Culture Change Programme”. New York: The Liffey Press, (2006): 34-65.