My Lifes Experience and Identity vs. Elaine Risley Essay

My Lifes Experience and Identity vs. Elaine Risley - Essay Example My case is no different from the person that I am today has greatly been determined by the experiences and the socialization processes that I went through as a child. Evidently, the childhood stage determines how one interacts with others, and even shape the kind of personality that an individual acquires. As seen in the novel, Elaine joins high school and it is at this point that her personality completely shifts from an introvert to a social person and an extrovert (Atwood 22). This transition can be related to the fact that in her childhood she did not have the right people an opportunity to converse with and even interact with. This is similar to my situation. When I was a child, I could barely communicate with others because my parent always questioned my doings, and I was, therefore, afraid that everything I did was wrong. Upon joining high school, my confidence was restored, and I began talking to people often. An individual’s experiences have major effects on the identity of individuals. In the novel, Elaine is seen to lead a very happy life before moving to Toronto despite her having friends (Atwood 22). In the course of her childhood, Elaine goes through terrible experiences such as being put in a hole in the name of game playing (Atwood 120). It is in this hole that she went through terror, fright, sadness, and betrayal. Her friends take advantage of her naivety and innocence to take advantage of her; though Elaine believed that her friends wanted to include her in the game. It would take time for Elaine to be embraced in the group since her fellow finds like Cordelia think that she is not normal (Atwood 134). Elaine stands the bullying from her friends and does not tell her parents or even the teacher. Her self-esteem is then damaged, a fact that determines her identity and personality.