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Vianna Bassani
Mrs. Butorac
English Foundations I Honors
30 November 2015

How is Identity Defined by a Person?

Perhaps its impossible to wear an identity without becoming what you pretend to be.
Orson Scott Card, Enders Game. In three different literary works, four different characters are
affected by their identity. Identity is made of two elements, environment and experiences.
Environment shapes Ralph in Lord of the Flies and an author Amy Tan, while experiences shape
Jack in Lord of the Flies and an author Delia Motavalli. These literatures suggest that ones
identity is shaped by environment and experience.
The circumstances in an environment can change a persons identity. In Lord of the Flies,
by William Golding, Ralph is the first character introduced in the book. Ralph is stuck on an
island because of a plane crash. He has to take charge of young boys because there are no
grownups. At first Ralph is scared that there are no grown ups on the island, but in a split second,
he gets the delight of a realized ambition and grins at the fact that there are no grownups
(Golding 8). Ralph is excited that there are no grown ups because its means that he can do
whatever he wants. Because of this, there are no consequences for what he does. He thinks that
they should have fun before the grownups come to fetch them (Golding 35). Ralph does not
realize that it will be hard for anyone to find the boys because they are on an island. The idea of
no grownups is exciting to the boys at the beginning because they would not have anyone to
watch over them. They could do whatever they wanted. This changes their identity from the

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beginning to the end of the book. Towards the end of the book Ralph knows that the boys cannot
function without grownups. The boys have changed so much, since they do not have any
grownups to point them in the right direction. He describes the boys as savages who do not
have any connection to the ancient picture of the boys at the beginning of the book (Golding
183). The boys are so different now that they act like animals instead of British schoolboys. The
situation with having no grownups in their environment has affected the boys identity.
This is similar to how Amy Tan, the author of her personal essay Fish Cheeks has her
identity changed from her environment. She comes from Chinese culture and lives in America.
Since her environment in America was different from her environment in China, she was
embarrassed of her Chinese culture. She liked a boy named Robert, who was invited to her
house for Christmas. Her situation was that Robert is American and is following the Tan familys
Chinese traditions for Christmas. If Tan were in China, she would not be embarrassed by her
shabby Chinese Christmas because it would be similar to others (Tan para 2). She is scared that
Robert would think that her noisy Chinese relatives are disrespectful because they lack proper
American manners (Tan para 2). Tan is in an environment that would make people think that
she is weird and different because she does not have a strong American culture. Since Robert is
American, and does not practice Chinese traditions, he might not like her because of her culture.
After the Christmas dinner when Tan is embarrassed beyond her extend, her mother tells her
something very important. Tan learns that she must always be Chinese because it is okay to be
different (Tan para 7). Her mother says she should be proud because her only shame is to
have shame (Tan para 7). These wise words teach her that it is shameful to be embarrassed
about things that are a part of you. She can not be embarrassed of her culture because she is
different; she should be proud of who she is. Her environment helped to shape her identity.

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Experiences can change a person's identity over time. In Lord of the Flies, a character
named Jack is a leader of a choir. He believes he is the better choice for chief because he is
chapter chorister and head boy and he shows his hidden ignorance when she says he can sing
C sharp (Golding 21). Jack has experience being a leader because he is chapter chorister. He
thinks that his experiences make him a better candidate for chief. He is being arrogant by
showing his accomplishments of his past experiences. Jacks actions proved this throughout the
book. When he killed a pig, he danced a step or two in front of Ralph then remembered his
dignity and stood still to present himself like a brave role model. Jack is dancing to display his
bragging about killing a pig, so the boys think that he is a good leader for getting food. At first,
he was scared to hunt and kill because he wanted to be a leader. Now that Jack has experience
with killing, it becomes part of his identity. He is violent and this changes his character from
whom he was in the beginning to the end.
Experiences can change people for the better, like Delia Motavalli, the author of Find a
Good Frog. She was a high school freshman when she wrote this essay about an experience that
changed her life. When she was younger, she always thought that being perfect was like being a
princess. Delia Motavalli thinks that the message of looking for a happily ever after while
growing up is misleading (Motavalli para 1). From her past experiences watching movies about
fairy tales and princesses, Delia Motavalli was influenced that she should never settle for
anything less than perfect. She did not think much of it then, but now she knows that it is
unrealistic. She formed a new realization through an experience from her mother. One day it was
raining and her mother told her something that she would never forget. Her mom told her to not
spend her life looking for Prince Charming because to be perfect means to have no flaws,
and that is impractical (Motavalli para 2). Her mother told her to look for a really good frog

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instead of Prince Charming (Motavalli para 2). She was shocked and could not believe what her
mother had just told her. After thinking about it, she knew her mother was right. This experience
changed her life because she learned not to look for perfection, but to accept all the flaws that
people have. Her identity was shaped by her experiences.
Environment and experiences define a person. Environment defined Ralph and Amy Tan
and experiences defined Jack and Delia Motavalli. These two ideas make up a person's identity.
No one is born with their identity because it is shaped throughout life. The way people act can
alter their real identities and cause them to be presented differently. What is deep down inside,
hidden beneath the lies of what people think, is true identity, and that is the only thing that can be
trusted.

Works Cited
Card, Orson Scott., and John Harris. "Chapter 13." Ender's Game. New York: Tor, 1991. 145.
Print.
Golding, William, and Edmund L. Epstein. Lord of the Flies. New York: Berkley, 1954. Print.
Motavalli, Delia. "Find a Good Frog." This I Believe. NPR, 4 Aug. 2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Tan, Amy. "Fish Cheeks." N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.

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