In Dante's Inferno, Dante is faced with three demons, each representing a different vice of humans that holds them back from salvation. The beasts of malice and fraud, violence and ambition, and incontinence are personified to make the reader identify with Dante and realize the virtues and vices of themselves. He says "the man who could escape (these beasts) must go a longer and harder way. First he must descend through hell, then he must ascend through purgatory, and only then may he reach the pinnacle of joy and come to the light of God." (Dante Canto I) One may wonder what this has to do with identity. The metaphors Dante displays can be used to explain how one forms their identity.
American society tends to believe that society is separate from the individual. It is commonly believed that everyone is an individual and different. But much like the crowd outside of Brian's window in Monty Python's Life of Brian, these members of society do not understand what being different and being an individual really means. All of the people outside of his window repeat what Brian is telling them. They all say in unison that they are different and individuals. These so called individuals are all the same and mindlessly follow societies norms and rules. Their identity is formed by the society in which they live. Society tells them that they are poor peasants living in Jerusalem, and they believe that is all they will ever be. The people cling to and worship Brian because he is telling them something they have never heard of before. He is telling them to break away from the social roles they are placed in, but they fail to do so. This is how many people's identity is formed; by society. But to truly find out who one is, they must embark on a journey like Dante.
To find out who one is, they must challenge who they think they are. Society likes to make people believe they must fall into certain roles and genres of people. TO challenge one's idea of who they are is challenging societies view of who they are. The individual has descended into hell once they realize that they are simply products of the society they live in. Upon realization of this false identity, the person can see who they really are. They can conquer the fraud and move beyond it. People simply live in a masquerade they perform in everyday. This is the fraud to be overcome as Dante puts it. The individual identity seeker can stop acting and just be.
Often times, people strive to be something they are not. This ambition to be something other than oneself is the second beast that needs to be conquered in order to find ones true identity. Pop culture throws images and icons at us that try to convince us how to properly live. When one has ambition to be what society says they should be like, they loose their sense of who they really are. They submit to social forces to fit in. Then a person must recognize their true talents. Our talents also make up who we are. Realization of what one is good at allows them to understand what kind of person they are. Now one is ready to move on and look within to see who they really are.
Dante's descent into hell can be symbolic of the great effort needed to recognize ourselves. It is in the darkest of times that one realizes who they are. Once one conquers their demons and movers past the pressures of conformity in society can one break through the ninth layer of hell and realize the true nature of oneself frozen beneath the sociological ice created to prevent one from thinking independently. When one thaws himself out, he can ascend to purgatory. Purgatory can be the acceptance of one's true self. He knows that he is destined for something great but still needs to work hard at who he is. Incontinence is a vice that sometimes prevents people from true self realization. People have a tendency to do what they are comfortable with. They can revert back to who society wants them to be. That is a step backward. But if one can retain this new found found sense of identity, then they can move on to eternal joy.
SO far I have described identity as a journey. After going through hell and purgatory, the next logical stage is heaven. One can venture past Saint Peter's gate and get into heaven that finding their identity is actually easier than thought. They can only reach true happiness when they realize that they just are what they are. The answer to "Who am I?" lies within everyone. They just have to look within themselves. People who go to Maui to find themselves must not be very observant people. They have been with themselves their entire life. They have failed to see that one is what they habitually do. Someone told me that one time and it really has stuck with me. There is another quote that says "by their actions you shall know them. One must look at the things they habitually do as these are things that make up their identity. For example, I habitually come home and do my homework even when I do not want to. This means I am a hardworking person since I make it a habit to work hard. I also like to criticize things so this means I am a critical person. Our virtues and downfalls come from things we habitually do. To change one's identity, one would have to change their habits. If someone wants to be hardworking, they should make it a habit to be hardworking.
The impact of society one people's identity is evident today on Facebook. People try to post all sorts of information about themselves to be different from others. They use art like music and films that other people have created to express their own individuality. In the long run they are all the same, conforming to the norms and formats of Facebook.
But society can benefit a person's identity as well. "Socialization brings the external world inside the individual," states Peter Berger and Thomas Luckman. Society can teach the individual what is acceptable and what is not by rewards and punishments. If one is not socialized, he will be a freak of nature, acting on desires and instincts. Society teaches someone how to control these urges and desires. A person needs to learn the norms and customs of society in order to be successful in that society.
Once and only once a man is socialized can he break away form society and be his own self. The journey through hell I spoke of earlier is only possible once one is socialized and realizes what society has made them. I believe a person creates their own identity, and only the weak allow themselves to be a product of society. MTV and reality TV shows are slowly sucking individualism out of society. Pretty soon every band will sound like the Black Eyed Peas and every girl will look like Snookie or a Kardashian. I usually pass on what is popular at the moment and instead focus on things that I like because I am an individual and I am different.
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