Culture and identity has been enormously portrayed by authors in a number of literary works. This paper intends to discuss the culture and identity in three different literatures, The Raisin in the Sun, The Yellow Wallpaper, and I'm nobody! Who are you along with further discussion about several other related aspects of the subject matter.
The Raisin in the Sun is a brilliant piece of literary work by Lorraine Hansberry. The author is well known for his portrayal of cultural and identical issues. In the play, raisin in the sun, the author widely discusses the African American culture. The story of this play revolves around an African American family who is struggling for the survival but they are not ready to compromise with their traditions and are very much concerned about their own identity. The head of younger family, Lena younger or the mama is very much concerned about the tradition, values and ethics of her family and when her elder son Walter suggests to open a liquor shop, she profoundly refuses the proposal. She believes that earning revenue from the liquor shop is not ethical and against their cultural values.
Lena younger’s daughter, Beneatha younger is a college going girl who is confused about culture, values, identity and also her personal life. She dates two men, both are African American but both are very distinctive in nature. First boyfriend, George is a rich and modern man while other boyfriend, asagai is a man who is deeply connected with his culture and believes in values. Beneath is very impressed with asagai and his attitude. Once she enriches George with her knowledge when he tries to make joke of African culture, she says "the Ashanti were performing surgical operations when the English were still tattooing themselves with blue dragons." Beneatha’s second boyfriend, Asagai is very much aware about his identity and convinces beneath at a number of occasions to return his native place, Nigeria.
The author has portrayed her own hidden emotions throughout the story. She herself is an African American and has been advocating her culture in a very strong way. She has portrayed African Americans at different significant positions which show that she is deeply associated with her culture. She has portrayed their weak position in the American society which expresses her agony for the African American people. The author is deeply concerned about her identity and culture which has been widely portrayed and visible throughout the story. Almost all the characters have been portrayed as the advocate of African American culture and almost all are really concerned about their African American identity. Characters like Asagai, Beneatha, and Lena are not ready to hear a single word against their culture and the identity.
The yellow wall paper written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a highly acclaimed short story. Story revolves around a woman who is also narrator of the story. She has been suffering from historical tendency and has been confined to a room of a mansion by her husband where they have gone to spend their summer vacation. The author portrays how narrator gets company of the walls where she has been confined. She gets attracted towards the wallpaper of the walls and searches different imaginations in the wallpaper. She assumes that she herself is in the wallpaper and can not think herself different from the wallpaper.
The author in this story has portrayed the identity of a woman in an evocative manner and also discussed about her different roles in house and society. Story also depicts the position of women and focuses on condition of women in contemporary society. Author portrays the mentality of a woman in a beautiful way in the story. The narrator thinks that she should work instead of sitting idle in the house and should interact to the people of the society instead of being isolated. She also thinks that she should love her kid and try to be a good mother instead of leaving the child with nanny and remaining separated from him. Modern feminists interpret this story in both positive and negative ways. They say that woman has always been subjected to the torture by men however they have always been progressive and concerned about their own identity in the society. Story is full of massage and leaves the readers with a number of questions.
The author has depicted her understanding of the issues related to women and also through her story raised a voice for the women. She advocates that their conditions should be improved like men and they should get the same position that men enjoy inside the house or in the society. The story reflects author’s concern for women and their deteriorating condition in the society. Interesting aspect of the story is that the author does not make hue and cry and keep blaming men for the deteriorating conditions of women like other feminist writers but presents her own arguments and convey her own feelings in a very sophisticated, symbolic way.
I’m Nobody! Who are you? Is a highly acclaimed and popular poem by Emily Dickinson. This poem was written a long time ago but it is still read and liked by many readers. The poem starts with narrator’s version of the story. Narrator says that he is nobody, which means that he does belong to public and instantly he asks from the readers that are you also nobody like the narrator. Author through the narrator has made mock of people and gave importance to the individual’s identity. The identity of an individual has been given more importance by author throughout the poem.
This poem somehow indicates that author herself had been living an isolated life and never cared for the people. It becomes clear after one comes to know about her life. She has been living completely isolated in her actual and personal life. The author has made mock of public and public figures. She uses a new term ‘loud bullfrogs’ for famous and published writers. Critics suggest that she has portrayed her own behavior, justified the same and encouraged individualism throughout in her poem. People have criticized her attitude and said that the author needs compassion instead of encouraging her works.
The author has given voice to the individualistic approach and inspires individuals to stick with their own identity. The individualism has been emerged as a truth of the society in recent times and people has been feeling comfortable in isolated lifestyle. Nobody today cares about others and wants a separate life where nobody interferes in their life. The poem also indicates the frustration among people towards the public figures like politicians and those who make unnecessary hue and cry but do nothing. The poem is close to reality although some people may find it impractical. Whether a person love the poem or hate it but no one can ignore the reality of the society and that is what the author has tried to convey in her poem.
After having observed all the above mentioned literary works, it is good to conclude that culture and identity has been enormously portrayed in all of the works by their authors. Culture and identity are two indispensable aspects of the human life and we can not Passover these aspects easily though different people have their own opinions about these concepts. Authors have portrayed their own feelings in their stories and poems and displayed their connection for the culture and their identity.
Works Cited
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Laurie G. Kirszner and Carol Kivo. The Yellow Wallpaper. California : Thomson/Wadsworth , 1998.
Emily Dickinson and Edric S. Mesmer. 'm Nobody! Who Are You? New York: Scholastic Incorporated, 2002.
Emily Dickinson and Rex Schneider. I'm nobody! Who are you?: poems of Emily Dickinson for children. New York: Stemmer House Publishers, 1978.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. United States of America: Mundus Publishing, 1973.
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Samuel French Inc Plays, 1959.
—. Raisin In The Sun: The Unfilmed Original Screenplay. St. Louis: Turtleback Books, 1995.
