Identity In Yerziska's Identity Theory And Social Identity Theory
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We always emphasize that man is a sociable creäture; which means that the each try to acquire his\her own surroundings, habits, culture, tradition, language, and other elements which offer a sense of security, stability and confidence. With the continuous movements or migration of people from their familiar surroundings to, such as, metropolitan cities or other countries or continents, maintaining or preserving clear or solid identity in such conditions and circumstances is extremely challenging.
This paper interrogates identity in the two narratives and the impact of geographical, cultural and social surroundings on the person. Jan E. Stets and Peter J. Burke in their Article “Identity Theory and Social identity Theory” Assert that: "the…show more content… In Yerziska's narrative, for instance, our heroine has to find a way to make her living “But from my high visions, my golden hopes, I had to put my feet down on earth. I had to have food and shelter. I had to have money to pay for it” (1729). Luck takes her to work for the new terminology and tag or hyphenated names that were given to Americans. This time it is the Russian-American family who happened to migrate from the Soviet Union-- Russia. This family came from the same region of "America and I" heroine. "My first job was a servant in an Americanized family. Once, long ago, they came from the same village from where I came. But they were so well-dressed, so well-fed, so successful in America" (1729). Doing all housework, taking care of the children and preparing meals for the "Russian American" family was her primary job. In her mind, this family "got it made", nice house, fancy furniture, cute children and above all they speak English and they look Americans as well. She found a sense of security with this family, because of the so called similar backgrounds, yet there is no identity finding. Assuming that she is working for a sort of financial compensation, she believes, will lead to self satisfaction and identity…show more content… I became obsessed with my appearance, with a wish to see myself. It was like an illness" (2731). He compared this obsession with his attire and physical looks to the time in Bombay where such things did not matter; “Thought back to the time when these matter hadn't interested me, and I saw how ragged I must have looked, on the aero plane, in the airport, in the café for bare feet, with the rough and dirty clothes I wore, without doubt or question " (2731). Now I was glad I had so little of Washington to cope with: the apartment, my cupboard, the television set. And one day I found I no longer knew whether I wanted to go back to Bombay" (2731). Despite his continuous struggle to belong to the new society, the sense of belonging was never