Comparing The Search For Identity In A Thousand Dollars And Initiation
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In the short stories “A Thousand Dollars” and “Initiation”, both of the main characters are in an internal battle with themselves to find out who they are. Both of the main characters Gillian and Millicent, experience the same problems and battles to look for who they really are. However, although both characters go through the same struggles and the search for identity, the change they take on is different based on what they realized about themselves and what they had learned from others. One of the many battles Gillian and Millicent fight is the search for their own personal identity. In this battle they are both lost in what to do and who they are. Gillian was given an inheritance of $1000 by his wealthy uncle. Most people would be excited to be handed $1000 dollars but Gillian was just confused as of what to do with it. He asked a man whom he called Old Bryson “Now, what can a man possibly do with a thousand dollars?” (O. Henry 389). While Gillian is troubled,…show more content… As Gillian was wondering what to do with his money he had learned several things. From his conversation with Miss Lauriere about the necklace, he learned that people are greedy and ungrateful for even the littlest things. As he looks back on the will, he saw that only Miss Hayden had been given only $10 and a ring. From that moment, Gillian has had a change of heart and had given his money to Miss Hayden as an act of love and generosity. As for Millicent, she had learned that one did not have to belong to a club to feel related to other human beings. She thought back to one of the initiations that took place on the bus. She talked to many people and asked about their breakfast until she realized that she could make friends and meet new people on her own. She remembers her best friend Tracy and sticks up for and with her as she doesn’t join the sorority. From then, Millicent learned that all she had to do to make friends was to talk to people.