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Anson Li
Mr. Romanoff
ENG 3UV
July 11th, 2024
Identity is Unshapeable
In literature, a character's experiences no matter how life-changing they may be, cannot
shape a character's core identity. In the stories Safety of Numbers, The Last Curiosity, and On
That Side of the Fence, the protagonists are introduced with unique character qualities as they
experience various plotline events. Despite their experiences with past trauma, the horrors of
death, and the reality of friendship, the characters remain true to their core identities which is
evident by their subsequent actions after going through their respective experiences.
To begin with, in Lucy Tan’s Safety of Numbers, the protagonist remains as carefree and
adventurous despite the discovery of her mother's past trauma. In the story, the protagonist is
introduced as a girl who just wants to hang out with her friends and live like a typical child
indicated by the quote, “The first time I sneaked out, it was winter. We pulled and pushed on the
screen until it started to crack” (Tan 3). This quote demonstrates that the protagonist is someone
who does not care about rules or consequences and makes choices based on her unique identity.
As the story progresses, the protagonist experiences the climax where she learns about her
mother's past in Tiananmen Square where the mother says, “My father caught me. I was on my
way to Tiananmen Square for a protest. He locked the window from the outside and pushed two
cabinets up against the door to keep me in. By the time he let me out, four of my best friends
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were dead” (Tan 8). This encourages the reader to think about how this will affect the
protagonist and if she will abandon her carefree identity and become paranoid and scared like her
mother. Despite learning about her mother's past, the protagonist disregards the possible
consequences of adventure and remains true to her identity, “We are not sure where we’re going
yet, but we have always wanted to see MTV Studios in New York City” (Tan 10). The
protagonist did not let her mother's trauma change her and she continued to remain adventurous
and carefree. Lucy Tan’s Safety of Numbers supports the idea that even traumatizing memories
can not prevent a person's desire for adventure which aligns with the thesis that experiences
cannot change a person's core identity.
In addition, in Lucy Tan’s The Last Curiosity, the Woken’s curiosity continues to pursue
knowledge despite the horrors of death. They are introduced as a curious entities indicated by,
“Curiosity is the Woken’s main motivation. We were, after all, programmed to crave
information” (Tan 2). This quote directly outlines a core aspect of their identity of being curious
about the unknown. After some of the Woken decide to return to their database, the ones who
went back gave expressions of horror as they returned demonstrated by the quote, “The six
hundred subjects meant to be returned to the Woken dropped at once, some crumpling over their
legs, some toppling onto their backs. On their abandoned faces were vestiges of horror” (Tan 7).
The reader may naturally suspect that the remaining entities will be consumed by fear, and stop
being curious about the human experience, but later they say, “Because we are the only ones left
on Earth now, we must remain in our human bodies and record all we see” (Tan 7). They did not
let death change their identity and continued to pursue knowledge of the human experience.
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Lucy Tan’s The Last Curiosity demonstrates that curiosity does not get overshadowed by fear
supporting the thesis that even death cannot shape a character's identity.
Furthermore, in Mali Kambandu’s On That Side of the Fence, Matteu does not allow his
economic status to affect his social identity. He is introduced as an extroverted character who
likes to make friends supported by the quote, “I hadn’t seen the kids in the house when I was
leaving for school but I knew when I got back we’d get to know each other and become good
friends” (Kambandu par. 11). Matteu embraces his identity and attempts to climb a tree to get
closer with his friends which resulted in him breaking his arm indicated by, “But this time I was
stupid. I put my hand out, hoping to cushion the fall. When I lifted my arm again, it pierced with
pain and dangled like a sock off my foot” (Kambandu par. 54). The reader would expect Matteu
to become socially isolated after this incident, but Matteu chose to remain true to his talkative
identity verified by the present time where he is in university relaying his memory to his
girlfriend, “She raised my arm, bringing it up to her lips. The most gentle of touches. I linked my
fingers in Gloria’s as I told her the story of my fall from youth” (Kambandu par. 3). Despite the
scar of the consequences of pursuing friendship, he did not let this change his identity evident by
his current romantic relationship in the present day with Gloria which further supports the thesis
that identity is not changed by experiences, even by ones that leave physical scars.
In conclusion, it can be determined that a character's experiences cannot alter their core
identity, supported by Lucy Tan’s and Mali Kambandu’s short stories. Their stories illustrate that
the consequences of trauma, death, and pursuing friendship were unable to change their
protagonist's core identity.
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Works Cited
Kambandu, Mali. On That Side of the Fence, 2022.
Tan, Lucy. Safety of Numbers, 2015.
Tan, Lucy. The Last Curiosity, 2021.