Many people, including students, are losing their true selves in society. Instead, human beings are united in their shared experiences, many of which include struggles for survival. Society’s contemporary struggles, however, are for something else, which often include the search for identity. Establishing identity is a universal struggle that all humans experience. For most teenagers, in particular, as they start to search for their adult selves, there is no worse time in their lives than when they don't know who they truly are. People tend to feel that they are not good enough. Since this is such a common aspect in life, it illustrates as a theme in many narratives. In “Seventh Grade,” Gary Soto demonstrates the universal struggle of establishing …show more content…
Bueller. Victor demonstrates an identity struggle through the perspective of an adolescent male. After Victor embarrasses himself in front of Teresa and his entire French class by pretending to speak French, he is devastated. Soto explains that Victor, “was too weak from failure to join the class. He stared at the board and wished he had taken Spanish, not French. Better yet, he wished he could start his life over. He had never been so embarrassed. He bit his thumb until he tore off a sliver of skin” (Soto 3). This demonstrates Victor’s struggle with identity as he attempts to make himself seem more capable than he actually is. Victor lacks confidence with identity because he is one of many teenagers who is not sure of what he knows and what he doesn’t know. Success often revolves around being the best and winning in life. Males are often pressured to hide …show more content…
After homeroom ends, Teresa was stalling by talking to the teacher so that she could have a chance to meet up with Victor, Soto writes, “Only Teresa lingered, talking to the homeroom teacher. ‘So you think I should talk to Mrs. Gains?’ she asked the teacher. ‘She would know about ballet?’ ‘She would be a good bet,’ the teacher said. Then added, ‘Or the gym teacher, Mrs. Gaza.’ Victor lingered keeping his head down staring at the desk” (Soto 2). This demonstrates Teresa's struggle with establishing her identity because she if she were confident in herself, she wouldn't need to linger in order to talk to Victor. She is not trusting her identity and who her true self really is. Teresa lacks confidence with her identity because she doesn't have the confidence to do or say what she likes. If Teresa was more confident in herself, she would have told Victor how she feels about all of this. When it comes to establishing identity, Teresa needs to realize that her identity is what is most important. She cannot follow someone else and keep her identity hiding forever. That will not lead her to the path she thinks it will.Teresa's struggle as an adolescent female demonstrates how other adolescent females are led to believe that they cannot take an initiative. This is not only untrue, but it can also be damaging to a young girl's confidence, which is clear in Teresa’s case. From Teresa's