Identity

Source: http://www.shortlist.com/shortlists/10-banned-books

Commentary:

     I recently came across an article naming the top ten banned books. The article gave a quick synopsis of the book, and the reasons each book was banned.  While reading through this article, I realized that over half of the books were banned because the author was honest about society today, and that was seen as unfit for the public to read. For example the book The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck was banned for its descriptions of the poor in America. The descriptions in the book are not meant to be offensive or unfair, but HONEST. Some of the other books were banned for explicit content, religious slurs, but most often it is for the book's criticism of society. Now what does this have to do with the concept of identity? Well....
    The fact that these books (along with countless others) shows that we as a society like to keep to our social norm. We do not like to hear, see, or think about the parts of society that make us unique, the parts that make each person an individual. The author's actions of writing the books in its self is an expression of this identity, and it is repressed as much as possible. Years later we have come to see these books as works of art and great literary accomplishment, but it has taken us awhile to get over the shock. One book in particular, American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis caught my interest. The book follows the story and dissects the identity of a  serial killer who appears to be an average member of society. This subject is very interesting because it shows how one person can have such a split identity: one that society accepts, and one that is rejects. The identity that we choose to put forward depends on the company we are in. Had the main character, Patrick Bateman, showed his true identity to the public, he would have been "banned" just like the books on the list. As soon as I read about this book, I went to amazon and read more about it and then promptly pushed "add to cart". I anxious to read this book and see how Patrick reacts and behaves within society. For now, here is a sneak peak for me (and you):


" I stare into a thin, weblike crack above the urinal's handle and think to myself that if I were to disappear into that crack, say somehow miniaturize and slip into it, the odds are good that no one would notice I was gone. No...one....would...care. In fact some, if they noticed my absense, might feel an odd, indefinable sense of relief. This is true: the world is better off with some people gone. Our lives are not all interconnected. That theory is a crock. Some people truly do not need to be here."


-Brett Easton Ellis


Think about it