Lost in Identity Essay

Through public opinion, prejudices and stereotypes, one’s identity is subject to change. If one is constantly criticized and put down for their physical appearance or their actions, they will try to modify themselves to fit the norm, and to match the majority. In the three pieces, â€Å"Barbie Doll,† Siddhartha, and â€Å"Black Men and Public Space,† they demonstrate that through society’s expectations and stereotypes, one’s identity will be challenged and thus inhibited. Only when one’s own determination and perseverance pulls through, will they discover their true â€Å"Self.† In both pieces Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, and â€Å"Black Men and Public Space† by Brent Staples, the characters were often seen changing and reevaluating their current positions in society. In â€Å"Black Men and Public Space,† Staples recalls his past connection with outside opinions and stereotyping. Black men are repeatedly labeled as dangerous and suspicious, so in the evening, women would avoid him and the policemen would often pull him over solely due to the color of his skin. Because of his constant mistreatment, Staples is conned into believing he is some sort of ominous being who threatens everyone around him. In the end, instead of conveying his true identity, he tries to make everyone else around him feel more comfortable by â€Å"learning to move about with care,† and to â€Å"give wide berth to nervous people†(Staples). Staples ultimately mutates himself into someone so passive that his only purpose in life is to satisfy others. In Siddhartha, Hesse’s portrayal of Siddhartha illustrates the epitome of conquering â€Å"Self† and understanding one’s own identity. At first, Siddhartha attempts to fight back outside pressures, however he too falls into the trap. As Staples journeys through New York and Siddhartha through India, the paths they decide to take are quite similar. For example, soon after parting ways with Govinda, Siddhartha travels to a new town with fresh obstacles waiting to be overcome. Upon arrival into the new town, Siddhartha owned no worldly possessions except for the clothes on his back. Siddhartha soon meets the town’s very own love mistress, Kamala, and she informs him that he will not be permitted to study love from her unless he attains three things: expensive clothes, shoes and a house. Although Siddhartha easily could have dismissed her conditions, he felt as if he was obligated by society’s standards to live a wealthy life. Staples on the other hand also lives a scripted life because he alters everything about himself, from his standing proximity to even wasting extra time to make sure others don’t feel as if he is following them. In the end, Siddhartha grows wary of societal expectations and learns that it should not govern what he does. If Siddhartha were to advise Staples, he would tell him that instead of enduring continuous racial inequalities, he should take time to look deep within himself in order to reestablish the inner peace that would eventually pull him away from outside expectations. Another common theme addressed in these three pieces is the idea of fitting into society’s archetype. In â€Å"Barbie Doll† by Marge Piercy, her character would give anything to look good and fit into the crowd. Similarly in today’s society, women are continuously pressured to match a certain role and look a specific way in order to feel welcome. It doesn’t make sense why healthy, intelligent and strong women crumble under the low self-esteem of others. Women are getting so torn up by their peer’s critiquing that they focus more on the constant negative reminders, rather than their positive qualities. At the end of the novel Siddhartha, Siddhartha ends up reaching Nirvana by conquering his â€Å"Self† and learning to break free from society’s hold. On the contrary, the ending in â€Å"Barbie Doll,† Piercy’s character could no longer handle any more criticism so she â€Å"cut off her nose and legs and offered them up†(Piercy). Only then did society recognize her beauty, the beauty of the painted on undertaker’s cosmetics and the â€Å"turned-up putty nose†(Piercy). Even though Siddhartha wouldn’t judge â€Å"Barbie Doll† on her looks, he would however critique her on how she gave into outside pressures. Instead of letting society’s expectations take root and fester within, like Staples, she should have listened to her â€Å"Self†, and lived her life through the true beauty found inside. Staple’s mistake in â€Å"Black Men and Public Space† is closely intertwined with â€Å"Barbie Doll’s† in that they both are caught in society’s grasp and they have trouble clawing their way back out. Since Staples has grown so accustomed to the design of other people governing his every motion and every thought, the idea of putting his foot down and standing out from the crowd seems totally inconceivable. If this attitude persists, the only foreseeable outcome is one that will lead to his undoing. â€Å"Barbie Doll† resembles Staples’ ever-growing uncertainty with his life. If Staples continues his charade and prolongs his constant mistreatment, he will ultimately turn out like Barbie Doll, someone who was so thirsty to taste her real identity that in order to escape from the hole she dug herself into she had to kill herself. For Staples, it is not too late. Towards the end of â€Å"Black Men and Public Space,† he admits to â€Å"whistling melodies from Beethoven and Vivaldi†(Staples). Staples is under the impression that â€Å"a mugger wouldn’t be warbling bright, sunny selection from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons,† so by finding a way to cope with his situation, Staple’s repressed identity leaks out through the form of music (Staples). Siddhartha suggests that one’s own identity will never be lost, no matter how far one might venture from it, they will always cycle back to it in the end. So with Staples, however dormant his former â€Å"Self† remains, the return is inevitable. As people develop through outside influences as well as their own need to fit in, the connection with their identity will struggle to return. As a result, people become even more detached from reality and live as if they do not have a mind of their own, but like a machine that is programmed to do as others tell it. In the three pieces of literature, â€Å"Barbie Doll,† Siddhartha, and â€Å"Black Men and Public Places† they try to warn their viewers of the dangers of becoming too attached to what other people think. Instead of listening to others and obeying their every command, we must think for ourselves and create our own guidelines and expectations to live by. â€Å"One must find the source within one’s own self, one must possess it. Everything else is seeking- a detour, error†(Siddhartha 5). Works Cited Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha. New York: Bantam Classics, 1981. Piercy, Marge. â€Å"Barbie Doll.† Circles on the Water: Selected Poems of Marge Piercy. Ed. Alfred A. Knopf. New York: Knopf, 1982. Staples, Brent. â€Å"Black Men and Public Space.† The Norton Reader: Eleventh Edition. Ed. Linda H. Peterson and John C. Brereton. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2004.