Harris 1

Alana Harris
English 114B
Professor J. Rodrick
April 27, 2016
Everyday Identity
Identity in the traditional sense is formed by the things around us. Family, friends, where
we grow up, religion, etc. all play a role in who we grow up to be. The novel Everyday, by David
Levithan challenges what it means to have an identity. Throughout the book we follow a
character named A, who essentially is, for lack of a better term, a spirit that travels from body to
body never to be the same person twice. A has no past, no religion no parents, no friends, yet still
very much has an identity. Due to the fact that A is able to travel from body to body, A is able to
see the world through many eyes and perspectives. This allows A to form opinions and make
choices which is an essential part of having an identity.

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Religion is an underlying theme throughout this novel. Many people around the world
believe in some form of religion usually involving a higher power of some sorts. However due to
As circumstances, A does not believe in religion. A does however have an opinion about it. A has
been to many different religious ceremonies
throughout life and found one thing to be true. All
religions are very similar in the way that they believe
in a higher power, but it goes beyond that. Its only in
the finer points that it gets complicated and
contentious, the inability to realize that no matter what
our religion or gender or race or geographic background, we all have about 98 percent in
common with each other (Levithan 77). Because A is able to view life through many eyes and
form opinions about these perspectives A is able to see the many similarities there are with
religion. This is a part of As identity, instead of focusing on the two percent that is different in
people A focuses on the 98 percent that is similar.
Family plays one of the most important roles in shaping who we become as people.
Parents especially have a vital role in forming how we grow up and view the world. A, however,
has no parents, no past. As a child that was difficult to handle. Being torn away in the middle of
the night to move on to the next body without being able to see the same person twice is a lot for
a five year old to wrap its head around. All children want and crave is a parents affection. Due to
the fact that A has no family gives A, a higher value for it. A cares about family because A
doesnt have one. While A is in Marcs body he wakes up to the fact that he will be attending the
funeral of Marcs grandfather. At the funeral there are huge amounts of people there grieving for
this deceased man. Soon A who is in Marcs body starts to have tears role down his face. I will

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never have a family grieve for me. I will never have people feel about me the way they feel about
Marcs grandfather. I will not leave the trail of memories that hes left (Levithan 268). At the
funeral A realizes that there is no possible way for A to leave any legacy. A has no family or
friends and all this is hitting at the funeral and that makes A jealous. Seeing all those people care
so deeply about someone who is already gone is
hard to swallow knowing that that will never
happen to A.
Some people may claim that A does not
have an identity because the components that
traditionally make up an identity are not there for A. A has no family, friends, background, or
even a body. Someone like that, a spirit of sorts can take on any personality at any time. A person
like that is able to bend the rules most people live by and get away with it. Throughout the book
A does some questionable things while in other peoples body just to get close to Rhiannon. The
best example of that is when he left Nathan on the side of the rode in the middle of the night
which led him to believe that he has been possessed by the devil. A gave Nathan a very hard
time. Now for a rest of his high school life and maybe even into his adult life Nathan will be
known as the person who got possessed. However, that does not mean A is inherently bad or
good, necessarily. This proves that A makes choices and has opinions about things which in turn
shapes identity.
Good and evil are themes in life that this novel explores deeply. While reading the book
one gets the sense that A is in fact inherently good. He has a set of rules he lives by as to not
disturb the body that he is occupying for the day. A also breaks those rules in order to get to
Rhiannon. When A left Nathans body, Nathan was convinced he was possessed by the devil and

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relentlessly tried to get answers from A. He also reached out to a man by the name of Reverend
Poole who has dealt with many cases like Nathan. After a while Nathan and A meet up and A
explains the whole situation, its hard to believe, but Nathan is a little relieved. They agree to
meet up the next day to prove that A isnt lying. When A arrives at Nathans house A realizes it is
a trap because Reverend Poole comes in as well. While A and Poole are talking A sees something
off with Poole. Theres something elsean entreaty. Almost as if Reverend Poole is still inside
somewhere, trying to warn me (Levithan 290). A can see that whatever is in Reverend Pooles
body is not good. There was something in the way he looked that you could tell this guy was not
a good person. A does some questionable things
while in other peoples bodies but A is not a bad
person. A makes choices and more often than not it
is for better not worse.
Identity can be formed by many things,
family, friends, background, etc. However, although A doesnt have all the traditional
components of an identity, A has one. A is able to travel from body to body and view the world
through different eyes which allows A to form opinions and makes judgements for oneself. A
focuses on the similarities in people rather than the differences much like the fact that religions
are all very much alike. A also hold family to a high standard due to the fact that A doesnt have
one to cherish. Good and evil are things everyone deals with in life, A is no different. A isnt
perfect but makes choices more often than not to help people rather than harm. A has an identity,
not in a conventional way but the way that makes A, A.

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Works Cited

Intertwined Beliefs (religion picture)

Broken Families (family picture)
The Battle between choices (good vs evil picture)
Levithan, David. Everyday. New York: Ember, 2012. Print.