RACIAL FLUIDITY AND IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION IN THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN

Abstract

Abstract

A person’s identity is an integral part of their life that helps them understand who they are and also gives the onlooker an idea about them. The change in their identity makes them conscious whenever they are with someone, causing them to adopt a performance that is best suited for the crowd. This paper delves into the complexities associated with one's change in their racial identity, focusing on the biographical historical fiction The Personal Librarian about the life of Belle da Costa Greene, co-authored by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.  Through Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial development theory, the paper explores the identity development of the character and how the society around them plays an important role in the decision. The paper states that the black identity stays intact even after the character resort to racial passing and portrays the inner turmoil and struggles the character have to trudge while maintaining the white identity.