What constitutes our identity?

What constitutes our identity? This question doesn’t mean the ID picture on my driver’s license. This means what character traits I may have as a person that are unique to me. Identity means, to us as a class, the certain aspects of us as a person is shaped by many experiences, goals, morals, and ideas of similarity that has created characteristics of that unique person.

In the short story, The Short and Happy Life of Francis Macomber by Ernest Hemingway, this idea of identity is demonstrated perfectly. The story is about a man named Francis Macomber, who is rich and well off.  He did not have to face many hardships throughout his life, until one day when he went off to a safari. He faced a lion, and ran with his tail in-between his legs. Later, he shot some buffalo, and found courage he did not have before. He was no longer afraid like he was before. This idea directly indicates the idea of identity. Thanks to living a rich and shelter life, Macomber did not have to do anything that was uncomfortable or scary to him. He probably had servants to do that for him. He never had to worry about not having enough money; he was rich, after all. This shaped him into being a coward, one who runs away from trouble and danger. He is not strong enough to face up to to these blocks in the road. However, later in the story, he comes across many terrors and trouble, and he finds himself growing in confidence and bravery. He was able to overcome the rough experiences, alive and well, and he learned from these experiences. Experiences help shape a person. He realized the great feeling of a kill, how good it felt to stand up to your fears and to come out with a win. By doing something he was uncomfortable with, he learns to deal with it and goes comfortable with the practice. So, he goes from being a cowardly child to a man with spirit. His identity changed from a shirk to a man who can stand up to anything. This transition to thanks to the experiences he encounter by confronting hardships. As I have said before, he was terrified of the lion, but after that fear he felt as if he could stand up to anything without being afraid before. He felt that fear, understood it, and learned from it. His identity changed.

This affects me as a person in many ways. I too am shaped into the person I am through my own experiences. To become a stronger person, I have faced so many hardships, sometimes I choose these hardships and others I did not. There are several hardships I have faced that I did not choose. For example, my grandmother passed away last year. I have never had a family member who was that close to me die before, so this was a hardship I had to go through. I learned from this experience in many ways. I understand people who have also lost family members as well to a greater degree than I ever have before. I also, emerged in this hardship, will be able to endure the feeling of loss when another family member passes away. In all, I grew as a person. I became someone who could understand and face up to the horrible idea of death, without shutting myself out to the world or living in denial. There are also hardships I face that I choose to face to become a better person. For example, I abhor talking to new people, because it is very uncomfortable for me to do so. To overcome this hate, I often force myself to talk to others, even when my body is screaming no. By emerging myself into the uncomfortable situation, I am able to become comfortable and learn from the experience. My identity would change from a quiet, shy person to a person able to speak with anyone with ease and happiness. This is how the idea of identity applies to me.