Identity In John Steinbeck's The Invisible Man

Does how we define ourselves really matter? People have debated this topic for decades and still have not reached a conclusion. Over time, the idea of identity has evolved and changed to be tailored to fit the generation of people at the particular time. Yet, people are still defined in the same way. A vast majority of the populous would say an individual is defined by the actions he or she deliberately does. However this view is extremely basic and there are larger ideas to define a person . Humans tend to swing toward a majority with similarities they can identify with, which leads to groups being created. These groups or organizations an individual affiliates themselves with-or succumbs to due to societal pressures-do not define the individual; …show more content…
This is the only time when we, as individuals, have full control over how the public perceive us. In The Invisible Man, the narrator joins a group of progressive thinking men who fight for equality known as the Brotherhood. The narrator had given a speech and ensured the crowd does helps an elderly couple to place all the furniture back in the house. This earned him a place into the Brotherhood as a speaker. But when the narrator fails to explain and convince why he had held the funeral for the deceased Brother Tod Clifton to the brotherhood, he is looked down upon. As he is labeled as a speaker, the brotherhood had generalized him to have inferior ideas. As a result the board conveys its feelings in a demeaning sarcastic manner to the narrator. “You mean he admits to the possibility of being incorrect?” (Ellison 464). As he joined the Brotherhood as a speaker, he is defined as a speaker. This means he creates an impression of having inferior ideas as he can only convey the message in a powerful and emotional manner. Donald Trump is no different from the narrator as they both are outsiders who can create energy in the masses, even if they are incorrect. Donald Trump is an extremely influential and powerful man who usually gets his way. He, as a real estate mogul and a reality T.V. host, has become to be defined as a very straightforward and blunt person. During this presidential election process, the image he has engraved into the minds of thousands of American voters helped him rise to pole position in the republican primary. However, his definition that he has created for being straightforward and consistent is under scrutiny right now due to his remarks on abortion. John Cassidy in the article, Is Donald Trump Self-Destructing? states, “If Donald Trump were a normal political candidate, he would be in serious trouble at the moment.” However the fact, he