Identities

Contrast is shown throughout this intriguing story by W.D. Valgardson mainly through the setting. The main character takes us from a nice, clean, suburban neighbourhood to a dirty, haggard, cold and forgotten urban neighbourhood. The protagonist is tempted to leave his house by a perfectly sunny Saturday afternoon, and is lured far away from his home by memories of car rides during his childhood. There is a noticeable contrast between his safe home in his neighbourhood and where he is led throughout the story into a sketchy place. Valgardson makes the theme, setting and details very important throughout the story, emphasizing the effect that the man's clothing and appearance had on his percieved social status by other people. The man sees men wearing leather and a woman with a fine sweater, and he judges them accordingly to how they are dressed and what part of town they are in. He believes they are potentially dangerous because of how they tal and how they look, but takes no notice of what people might judge him as when he is wearing jeans and hasn't shaved, whilst driving a Mercedes-Benz. There is much irony in this story, focusing around the man judging the neighbourhood, the people, and the wealth around the area, but when the policeman approaches him the cop believes he is a car thief. The man takes no notice that the policeman might think he stole his Mercedes-Benz and reaches in his pocket for his identity. He is shot because he was judged with the identity of a scruffy man with jeans who potentially stole a car, while the man thought he was completely safe because of the cop.

5/6 Short Stories - Literary Devises Title: Identities

Point of View: Third Person

Protagonist: The man referred to at the beggining of the story What type of character is the Protagonist? The protagonist is a wealthy man who lives in an upscale neighbourhood and has a wife and kids.

Antagonist: Guilt is the antagonist since he feels guilty for not leaving his wife a message and causes the man to go to a store and call his wife.

Describe the setting: (time, place, mood and atmosphere) The story begins in the man's house in a nice neighborhood that is clean and safe. The man drives to a different neighborhood which is full of gangsters and trash, and everything is locked up. The story takes place during autumn on a Saturday morning. The story ends at nighttime.

Type of Conflict: Man vs. Man

Describe the main conflict: The main conflict is the action of the policeman shooting the man although he was innocent.

How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme? The conflict between the police officer and the man illustrates the theme which is the mistaking of identities.

How does the climax help to illustrate the theme? The climax of the story is when the cop makes a mistake and shoots the man whose identity he mistook when the man is reaching for his wallet to grab his identity. However, the man felt safe because he recognized the cop's identity by looking at his uniform and didn't take precautions, and didn't even think that the policeman thought he might be a car thief.

Give examples of each of the following literary terms in the story (use quotes):

Simile: "Darkness has quietly been setting like soot."

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif';">Metaphor: I didn't find any.

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif';">Personification: "...hand painted signs instructing purchasers to deposit twenty-five or fifty cents." "The houses are squat, as though they have been taller and have slowly, sunk into the ground."

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif';">Symbol: His wallet symbolized his identity.

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif';">Foreshadowing (give both elements):

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif';">Irony:

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif';">Imagery:

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif';">15/20