The Metamorphosis, By Bartleby, The Scrivener, And...

The Importance of Identity Identity plays an important role in a person’s life. It determines how a person lives, acts, communicates, and defines themselves in the world around them. During this semester, we have read a handful of short stories that have to do with an individual’s identity. Three of those stories include, â€Å"The Metamorphosis,† by Franz Kafka; â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener,† by Herman Melville; and â€Å"Orientation,† by Daniel Orozco. Each of these short stories gives examples of how your work can influence a person’s identity and attempt to remove the personal factor from everyday life. Identity is established in a number of ways throughout each of these stories. In the first story, â€Å"The Metamorphosis,† the main character, Gregor, has a moment where his identity changes in a literal sense. Gregor is a hard working son who provides for his family as a traveling salesman, but suddenly he wakes up one morning to find himself turned into a slimy, and horrifying insect. As his life is dramatically altered, Gregor can only think of one thing; work. Even as Gregor is trying to force his shell like figure out of his bed he says, â€Å"’Before it reaches a quarter past seven, I must absolutely be out of bed without fail. Besides, by then someone from the office will be sent here to ask about me, since it opens at seven’† (Kafka). Even though he has transformed into a hideous monster, he is only concerned about the trouble he will be in at work, rather than his unique situation.