A stolen identity

"Is that right?" Paul D turned to Sethe. "I don't know about lonely," said Denver's mother. "Mad, maybe, but I don't see how it could be lonely spending every minute with us like it does." "Must be something you got it wants." Sethe shrugged. "It's just a baby." "My sister," said Denver. "She died in this house." Paul D scratched the hair under his jaw. "Reminds me of that headless bride back behind Sweet Home. Remember that, Sethe? Used to roam them woods regular." "How could I forget? Worrisome..." "How come everybody run off from Sweet Home can't stop talking about it? Look like if it was so sweet you would have stayed." "Girl, who you talking to?" Paul D laughed. "True, true. She's right, Sethe. It wasn't sweet and it sure wasn't home." He shook his head. "But it's where we were," said Sethe. "All together. Comes back whether we want it to or not." She shivered a little. A light ripple of skin on her arm, which she caressed back into sleep. "Denver," she said, "start up that stove. Can't have a friend stop by and don't feed him."

From the beginning it becomes clear that Sethe's past, involves painful memories, that “comes back whether we want it to or not.” The key words here being “whether we want it or not” which implies that she has been suppressing memories that have been too painful to face. Our identity is constructed of the memories and experiences that we carry with us, in Sethe denying the past she is unable to maintain a stable identity. Of course she is not alone, the memory of slavery seems to be one of suppression for many of the other former slaves as well. The question of identity, especially racial identity, in America is still asked today.

Malcolm X seemed to ponder at this question as well. Born Malcolm Little, Malcolm opted to change his last name to X to represent the unknown name of his African ancestors and their lost culture during slavery. The suppression of culture, which ultimately lead to the loss of culture during this time period, in combination with the overall lack of a set American culture created an environment where Black man was feared. The fear of the Black man became his identity. That’s why the word ghetto is often times seen as synonymous with the Black and Hispanic community. Furthermore, this has lead people to compare those who are trying to get of “the ghetto” to carbs in a bucket. An example would be a person of color being accused of being white washed by his fellow colored man for doing academically well. What people don’t realize is a bucket is not the natural habit of a crab. Sethe wasn’t suppose to live haunted by the baby that she killed. She wasn’t suppose to be in that situation in the first place.

Moreover, when the person of color dyes their hair blonde or wears colored eye contacts they are immediately accused of self hate and of trying to be white. A white person that tans or draws on their lips is accused of none of that.

If there was an American culture, it would be and it is catered to the white man. This evidenced by the fact that many American born Hispanics and Asians don’t consider themselves American because their names don’t sound white or because they don’t look white.