Identity

Identity is not as major a motif as other themes in the play, it does however have much to do with Cory, who has trouble figuring out what is best for him throughout the play with his father saying one thing and Cory beleiving another.

The most obvious example of identity as a major theme is when Cory has comes home to see his family and to explain to his mother that he can't go to Troy's funeral. Cory says that he has to say no to his father at some point in his life, otherwise he might never be able to finally shake off his father's shadow of influence on his life and finally be the person he wants to be, not the person his father wanted him to be. Rose responds by saying that his father always wanted the best for Cory deep in his heart, and that disrespecting his father would not bring Cory anywhere closer to being a man. She says that that feeling Cory described of Troy's influence and will getting into all the cracks of one's existence in that home was just Cory "growing into himself"; feeling the presence of a strong personality he felt he was expected to fill the shoes of one day, and feeling heavily insecure about it. The reader can see this happening throughout the play, with one example being the repeated instances of Cory attempting to swing a baseball bat.

Identity also has lesser to do with other characters with strong personalities in the play such as Troy and Rose. Troy sees himself as the head of the house and the supplier of living stuff for his family, and therefore the most important person in it. This ends up messing up Troy's relationships with his family. Rose also has a strong identity as she sees herself as the key mediator in the family keeping peace and trying to make her family as harmonious as possibe.

Identity is a theme important to any story, because any character with a sense of purpose has a sense of identity. It is only when the theme of identity is played with, like when a character is unsure of his identity, that the theme becomes important and the literary work sets itself apart from any other story ever told.

__Main Points:__ -Cory is constantly trying to find out who he wants to be in the play. Not as far as careers go, he knows what he wants there but his father has complete control over that part of his life and chooses to deny him, but as far as what kind of person he wants to be. -He doesn't want to be like his father, but he knows that he has his father's blood in his veins, and that whether he likes it or not he will always have some of his father in him. -He doesn't know whether he should keep up the fued with his father for the rest of his life, even after Troy is dead, or whether he should just give in to being the man his father wanted him to be. Rose advises him that he should find a place in between those two extremes, as Troy always meant more good than harm for his son. -Troy and Rose also have strong senses of identity in the family, Tory sees himself as the key provider and Rose sees herself as the key mediator of conflict within the family.