The theme of self and other is one that is present in many works of literature. This theme discusses the significance of one’s identity, human interaction, and the small and large effects of both in society. How people see themselves, how people see others, and the relationships humans create are all interconnected to form a theme that can be applied to different aspects of life. Looking at Chloe Bass’s Wayfinding, Yuri Herrera’s Signs Preceding the End of the World, and Sandra Cisnero’s House on Mango Street, the theme of self and other is prevalent, each work shedding light on the negotiation of interaction, identity in culture, and defining identity with age.

In her art exhibition Wayfinding, Chloe Bass comments on the way people interact in society by placing signs around a public park; the signs are ambiguous, leaving room for the viewer to decide what it is Bass wants them to think about in terms of interaction. One of the signs reads, “I want to believe interpretations can be different without being threatening”. When thinking about their own interpretation people can be reluctant to see an interaction as meaning anything other than what they came up with. Being threatened by new or different ideas equates to a lack of better understanding the world. Becoming personally aware of this requires someone bringing that conversation to the forefront of discussion, which is what Bass did by putting the sign in not just a public place, but one that gives people the opportunity to think about it for themselves and not just as someone who is part of a larger group. Bass also repeats the same sign, using the words desires and approaches in place of interpretation; desires and approaches reiterate the idea that people can be quick to antagonize what they think is different, especially coming from what is natural in human behavior (i.e., having interpretations, desires, and approaches).

Bass also introduces negotiation of interaction, the idea that there is something to be negotiated with every interaction one makes. The reality is that humans expect something from most interactions they have because of innate self-centeredness. Connecting it with the first example, lack of different perspectives causes this self-centeredness and because it is such a natural behavior it isn’t something that is reflected periodically. Another sign reads, “You might want so much more than you know”. One interpretation of the sign can be Bass acknowledging the idea of negotiation of interaction. Bass can be saying that even though there is the innate feeling of wanting something for every interaction, one can want something that goes beyond satisfying their own needs, like wanting to make an impact or help someone. In other words, if someone takes the time to think about the giving and taking of interaction, they can find they may want to give to others rather than give into their selfish desires. Negotiation of interaction can also be found in the first example; a people’s reluctance to see things in a different perspective may be the result of a person wanting to get validation out of the interaction rather than getting new information out of the interaction. Bass makes a point of having mirrors in her exhibition which emphasizes the need for people to reflect on what they would usually ignore. When it comes to interaction, Bass asks questions and includes statements because people do not take the time to think about how they interact with others, or even how they interact with themselves. Bringing up these ideas in a big and public way allows people to be confronted with their default behaviors, on both a personal and societal level.

Yuri Herrera’s Signs Preceding the End of the World discusses the role culture plays in identity and how a shift in environment can impact that. Makina, the protagonist of the story, makes way from her hometown in Mexico across the border in search for her brother, who went to the United States for land but has yet to return. One of the pivotal moments in the story is when Makina finally makes it across the border and is close to seeing her brother, which is shown in Chapter 5 titled “The Place Where the Wind Cuts Like a Knife”. In this chapter, Makina talks about the importance of language; the story reads “More than the midpoint between homegrown and anglo their tongue is a nebulous territory between what is dying out and what is not yet born,”. Makina acknowledges the differences between American culture and Mexican culture when she comes in contact with the people who are “homegrown”; because she is a very inquisitive and observant person she is able to see that they are more than just a mixture of both cultures; she describes both languages as beasts because the culture it shows is so influential to what makes up a person. Not only have the Mexicans claimed this new identity of being American but they are able to morph back and forth between the two, which is an effect of emigrating that Makina gets to witness. The fact that Makina sees it this way comments on the need to be flexible with change when emigrating to the United States; Herrera paints the image of being in a foreign land well, especially since he does not explicitly say United States or give any other location. Makina’s observations allows readers to see the differences in values and overall attitude that is much more obvious to those who have not lived in the United States their whole lives. The nature of identity is deeply rooted in people’s environments, and a change in environment ultimately leads to a change in identity.

Another significant moment is in Chapter 7, titled “The Place Where People’s Hearts Are Eaten”. This is the chapter when Makina finally gets to see her brother but did not recognize him at first because of how much he had changed. This is when the reader learns what he actually did in order to stay; though it is an incredible story it is also one that shows great irony and the unfair values America holds. Makina’s brother essentially did a job that another American rejected to do, a job that shows what Americans often value most: patriotism. Makina’s brother showed patriotism and fought for a land that discriminates against him and one that rejected him. His story was also an instance where identity was forgotten; the story states “All of a sudden he has money and a new name, but no clue what to do, where to go, what the path of the person with that name should be”. One might hear his story and think he was lucky, but in reality, he did not get the opportunity to choose to keep his old identity, and even with his new one there is no sense of self. This passage is important when it comes to thinking about self and other because it not only talks about identity but also about identity being repressed. Cynthia-Marie Marmo O’Brien begins her review of the book by asking, “How do we survive in a world so hollowed out that it occasionally devours its own?”. This question can run through the book in its entirety, as the story begins and ends with descriptions that precede the “end of the world” for Makina. This end signifies a change of one’s own identity, how their experiences shape them, and how it impacts the way they go about living.

Another novel where the theme of self and other is prevalent is Sandra Cisnero’s  House on Mango Street. The novel tells the story about the life of Ezperanza Cordero, who is growing up in a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Chicago in the 70s. One of the biggest themes in the novel is identity, as Esperanza struggles to define herself during one of the most critical times of her development. As she gets older, Esperanza realizes the hardships she will face and the complexity surrounding what it means to be Latina living in the United States. Economic status, culture, and gender are all different aspects that Esperanza becomes aware of throughout the novel, which are expressed through different vignettes. Esperanza begins to look at the lives of the different women in her life, which all come with their different hardships due to cultural and gender expectations. Esperanza also looks at the young girls who are growing up beside her, some more willing to let go of her childhood more than others. Loss of innocence paired with the struggle to find balance between what is in store for you in life and what you want to be beautifully paints the theme of self and other. The idea of the American dream also shows up since her family moved to the United States in search for a better life. Her family’s American dream was buying a house, and Esperanza comes to realize that it was a dream that was never achieved and wonders what is in store for her own life. Esperanza begins to search for her identity, one that goes beyond the neighborhood she grew up in and the automatic features that make up her identity, like being Hispanic and a woman. Although this discovery was extremely liberating for Esperanza, she also acknowledges those automatic features; chapter 44 of the novel reads, “You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street. You can’t erase what you know. You can’t forget who you are”. This is important when discussing the theme of self and other because although different aspects of one’s life can promote change, one’s history should not be forgotten because it is one of the features that is automatically tied with identity.

Each of the three texts reveal different aspects of self and other because of the broadness and open-endedness of the theme. One common feature each of the texts share is that they do not offer an attainable and clear solution for handling self and other but rather just open discussion for different ways its readers can go about in trying to understand it. Although Chloe Bass’s Wayfinding dealt more with human interaction, it can be applied on a larger scale like the other two works were. Bass’s signs were a lot more ambiguous and required the viewer to reflect on their own personal life as well as in society as a whole. Both House on Mango Street and Signs Preceding the End of the World gave the reader an opportunity to be a part of someone’s journey in redefining or changing identity. They both also talked about creating a balance between two opposing identities, with Signs Preceding the End of the World focusing more on the effects of immigration on identity and House on Mango Street focusing more on trying to understand aspects of life like ethnicity, economic status, and gender, and how they come together to shape one’s identity.

Looking at the theme of self and other in its various forms encourages people to look at what they would not have otherwise experienced or thought about. Understanding one’s self is a part of everyone’s conflict in life, no matter one’s age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or any other factor. It is complex and not a one-size-fits-all scenario, which is why reading different works can allow people to better understand themselves and relate to other people. More importantly, looking at the theme of self and other can also help people learn from other people. It is important not to look at the world only through one lens, which can be difficult because we are the center of our own lives. Taking the time to acknowledge and think deeply about other people’s experiences leads to personal growth and can help better form relationships with other people, on a small and large scale.

Rhetorical Situation

The text of the Critical Analysis Paper is my analysis of three works, two of which were discussed in class. The works were Chloë Bass’s Wayfinding, Yuri Herrera’s Signs Preceding the End of the World, and Sandra Cisnero’s House of Mango Street. Each of these authors incorporated the theme of self and other into their works; the paper includes the similarities and differences between their incorporations and techniques and what they contributed to the theme as whole. The paper also includes an overall analysis of self and other in literature and its general importance.

I am the author of the Critical Analysis Paper; I have attended the Self and Other class all semester and took part in the discussions of the different works that I had to read for class. After taking the class and looking more in depth with what self and other really means, I felt prepared to discuss the themes of two of the larger works we looked at in the paper.

The audience of my paper were my professor, as well as other college student or anyone who would like to read about a broad and prevalent theme in literature. The audience for my paper can be anyone who wants to take a deeper look at the relationship between people and how it can impact someone’s life, as well as how they impact other people and the world.

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the use of self and other using analysis and outside research. The works evaluated in the paper spoke of many different aspects of self and other, such as the influence of culture on identity, negotiation of interaction, and self and other in coming of age. These different ideas show just how broad the theme of self and other is, and how it can be applied to different aspects of life.

The setting I wrote this paper in was in my house on my kitchen table. I had the opportunity to look at the course as a whole and incorporate ideas that have been discussed in class that I thought were important. I reviewed my notes from class as well as previous assignments I had written. There were no particular stimulations of senses that influenced my writing of the paper, it was mostly quiet which gave me time to think and organize my paper.