Identity and Belonging
As we grow up we develop our own sense of identity and belonging, which plays a major role in our development and behavior. Identity is the “representation of what we are”, while belonging is the way we feel a “sense of welcome and acceptance to someone or something” (“Identity and Belonging: Introduction”). Both of them are important to our sense of well-being. However, identity and belonging were being swallowed up due to different beliefs and culture around us. When someone struggles to find who they really are and where do they fit in, there are consequences of it that can affect every aspects in their life.
The theme identity and belonging is greatly emphasized throughout the two novels; The Indian Killer, by Sherman Alexie, and Death at Rainy Mountain, by Mardi Oakley Medawar; which are both stories of mystery that give a glimpse of Native…show more content… Billy is a friend of Tay-bodal. He seems to be a pure white man, until Tay-bodal discovered that he is an American Indian. Billy believes that “nobody wants him” because he is a “mixed blood”. Being in his situation was too hard because he is a “little lost one born out of violence”, “dividing himself to two separate worlds” (Medawar 253). Billy believes that people like him can’t be a part of the two world that he was struggling to belong in. “People with more than one racial ancestry have a problem, one that can be resolved only by choosing a single racial identity” (Spickard). Although he found himself struggling in finding his identity and where he would belong in, he chose and decided to be a white man instead. However, he wasn’t still happy and satisfied with that decision. “I got this hat. No one would ever have to look at me. Not even me” (Medawar 253). By obscuring the fact that he is a mixed blood he believes that he can be a white man without any hesitation. In addition, he is still suffering finding who he really