Gonzalez, 1

Tracy Gonzalez
Professor Beadle
English 113B
4 April, 2016
His Identity
Identity is something that is important to us in significant ways that rely on how our lives
can work, but that depends on our decisions. Identity is an idea of being who or what a person or
thing is. This topic had many interesting ideas that come across the book, Everyday by David
Lethinivan. Everyday, is about a unique being who identifies his name to be A, is constantly
changing into different physical bodies everyday with different lives of that individuals life,
which he is carefully not trying to interfere or influence himself in their lives. It is part of his life
and he must accept it, but he feels lonely enough to feel envy yet he is mature enough to
understand that not everything will be fair in his life. A, who believes he is different from
everyone else is conflicted about his identity, because throughout his life he has been connected
through many people by taking their identity in where he feels he is less of a person, however, A
does not realize that by taking peoples identities it has helped shape his identity so that he may
look forward to his future.
As identity is unknown because he does not know who or what he is, the only thing A
has is the name he has given himself. As life is illustrated as Every day I am someone else. I am
myself-I know I am myselfbut I am also someone else. It has always been like this. (pg.1).
Meaning he travels into a different bodies, every day, in a different life, and no one knows about
it except himself living within that specific body. It is a play on words and it sounds ridiculous,

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but for him it is normal since he is used to living like that. There are other things he keeps in
mind when living his life. One, not to define himself in any terms to anyone at all. Second, he
should not feel intimidated by peers or the burdens of parent expectations. Third, view everyone
as pieces from a whole and only focus on that whole, never the pieces. Fourth, observe for
awareness. The last, never be stopped by the past and think of the future, just live my life in the
present because that is where I am destined to live (pg.7). Those are the rules he follows to
protect himself because he is afraid of grasping to hope, which will eventually bring himself to
pain, and A may remember when he started to realize the differences he has to everyone.
A prefers to think of himself as a drifter, who does not think of what comes next and
denies any endings. Although there are times he is envious of not being able to have the
necessities he wants in life. For example, how A explained to Rhiannon about how he figured he
was different at a young age by instigating I wanted friends, a mom, a dad, a dog-but I couldnt
hold on to any of them more than a single day. It was brutal (pg.106). A admits his realization
that his life revolves in a certain way and accepts it through the means of being incapable of
fighting it so instead he went with the flow. During his lifetime knowing he was not like
anybody else who shares this struggling life, he became aware of how generally People tend to
only really think about their identities when they are in a crisis or when they are displaced or
moved from where people believe they belong (Jackson, Glenn, and Williams, pg.120). For
example, A who is being involved in Rhiannons life fears she might brush him off when she
knows the truth about him, as if she rejected him when all he asks for his to know of his
presence. Another would be how A, who at the time was in Kelsies body, wanted to help her by
warning her father that she is going through a suicidal attempt.

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The mechanisms of self-identity is dependent on how it is shaped, but it is not passive. In
the book, Modernity and Self-identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age by Anthony
Giddens states how identity is determined by external influences; in forging their selfidentities no matter how local their specific contexts of action, individuals contribute to and
directly promote social influences that are global in their consequences and implications
(Giddens, 2). Basically how we are incapable of creating our own identities because the only
way to gain an identity is the people we are surrounded such as family, friends, peer groups,
adults, strangers, etc. Who help shape mold our identities and after the process of our identity
shaping into our bidding and eventually becoming our own identity. For example, A who was in
the body of Leslie trying to create a normal day, but her brother, Owen, gets involved in a
misunderstanding that is blamed on him. A feels responsible to help him for Leslies sake, but he
does not realize being in this situation is helping him shape an ideal aiding sibling.
As I explained before how Identity is an important significance for us and how it is
related to A. The differences between identity to the person is the notion (idea) of it implicating,
how ones idea of who one thinks they are, and how one would define himself/herself. In the
book, The Ego Identity Status Approach to Ego Identity by James E. Marcia states Identity
formation involves a synthesis of childhood skills, beliefs, and identifications into a more or less
coherent, unique whole that provides the young adult with both a sense of continuity with the
past and a direction for the future (Marcia, 1). This identity is how A thinks how he should live
his life like because there were two options about his the way his life works. One, something is
wrong with everyone else or two, something was wrong with me. Because either they were
tricking themselves into thinking there was a tomorrow together, or I was the only person who
was leaving (Levithan, 155). A having this perception of being the odd one in any human

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contact help built his own ideals of how he should live is life by living inside of one different
human body each day, unable to stop and continue his own life. It explains how A, ignores
having his own identity and doesnt believe he has one, because he is different from everyone
else which frustrates him.
He is able to gain or make his own identity without consciously knowing it, but after
pertaining peoples lives and being involved within them helped him create his own identity.
However, he ignores the idea of having an identity because he mostly feels obligated or does not
deserve one due to being dissimilar from everyone. A finds it necessary to be careful of his
actions towards the boy/girls body and life, even if he does not harbor any liking feelings. For
example, A states how hard it is being a persons body you do not even like because Ive
harmed peoples lives in the past, and Ive found that every time I slip up, it haunts me. So I try
to be careful (pg. 2). A admits making mistakes that end up making him feel guilty, but decides
to alienate himself from the world as if he does exist, but no one will ever know that.
However, anybody can connect with another individual (or anyone), but what sets A
apart, from other protagonists, is that A can connect to others primarily by inhabiting the
identities of others. A gains possession of their body, access to their thoughts, feelings, and
memories that allows A too deeply and personally understand their life. An important factor A
has is not being affected much from their bodies like personal memories to himself, does not
contain the same feelings as the boy/girl, but his learning/education is a main key to his
evolution skills. What can affect A is the physical of the body because he is borrowing the
body, not that A has a choice because that is As lifestyle. If the body is tired, in pain, or sick,
generally it would affect him too since it is like two people sharing the body. The difference
would be is A taking over the body and the individual is unconscious at the moment, but A

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prepares memories to make is seem like they did not miss out on anything just like any normal
day.
A who is borrowing the persons body follows their identity, family life, and school life.
However, to be safe, A needs to be cautious of his own emotions due to guilt of a likely chance
that A might cause drastic problems in whoevers life he is taking responsibility. As identity is
preserve from acting for itself because A does not want to interfere nor be involved in any
individuals life. It is like As identity has stable features of persons that exist prior to any
particular situation, and are dynamic and situated accomplishments, enacted through talk,
changing from one occasion to the next (Kurylo, 19). A exists in any body A possess, must
accomplish any scenario the persons life is involved or somehow makes it pass as a normal day,
communicates with friends and family by that person, and proceeds the same routine every day.
In the book, Everyday by David Levithan, talks about a unique character who calls itself,
A lives his life by transferring to different bodies every day in different lives, and carefully
makes sure not to interfere or influence himself in the individuals life. This function is how As
life works, and accepts it, but at times A would feel lonely then envious of other lives. However,
he is mature enough not to be consumed by those emotions by understanding that everything will
never be fair. A believes and knows he is different from everyone, which has A devaluing his
identity even though his entire life A had been connected by many people. Being connected by
many people, A is able to utilize their identity and feels obligated to them, but fails to realize that
using anyones identity help mold his own. Identity is something that is important to us because
it is a part of us that help us live our lives, but the one who makes those decisions are ourselves.
An identity is an idea of being whom or what a person or thing can become as long as you know
who you are or at least how you identify yourself.

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Work Cited
Giddens, Anthony. "Modernity and Self-identity." Google Books. Polity Press, 1991. Web. 26
Mar. 2016.
Kurylo, Anastacia. Cultural and Communication. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, 2013. Print.
Feb. 2015.
Levithan, David. Everyday. N.Y: Ember, 2012. Print.
Marcia, James E. "The Ego Identity Status Approach to Ego Identity." Springer Link. SpringerVerlag New York Inc., 1993. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.
Ronald Jackson, Cerise Glenn, and Kesha Morant Williams. Self-Identity and Culture. Los
Angeles: Sage Publications, 2013. Print.