Identities

Title: __Identities by W.D Valgardson__
 * Short Stories - Literary Devises**

What type of character is the Protagonist? The protagonist is a wealthy man who lives in a wealthy neighborhood with his wife and children, where he is probably pretty well-known.
 * Point of View:** Third Person
 * Protagonist:**

The antagonist is guilt from not leaving a message to his wife. In the story, the protagonist goal was to drive around, but he stopped to call his wife to tell her where he was.
 * Antagonist:**

The setting starts off at his house, where he moves from the study, to the backyard, and then to the front yard. He lives in a big house in a good neighborhood. The people are nice, the place is clean, and there is not much worry about robbery or theft. Then, he gets in his Mercedes Benz and drives from where he lives into somewhere far away into a bad neighborhood. Here, everything is locked up, fences are in wrecks, and gangsters walk around in the streets. The story takes place in Autumn on a Saturday morning/noon. The story ends around nighttime.
 * Describe the setting**

The main conflict is man vs. man because the protagonist is shot by the police officer even though he was innocent.
 * Type of Conflict:**
 * Describe the main conflict:**

The climax of the story is when the inexperienced policeman tells the protagonist to stop. This is the moment of most suspense because the policeman is inexperienced and nervous, so the reader doesn’t know what might happen.
 * Describe the Climax of the Story:**

The protagonist starts off at his house, where he begins to grow tired of his neighborhood, so he decides to drive around. He ends up in a bad-looking neighborhood, and he starts getting scared and panicky. When he walks into the store and the policeman tells him to stop, he feels relieved.
 * How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story?**

The theme is the mistaking of identities, and the title is identities.
 * Describe the relationship between the title and the theme.**

The conflict between the protagonist and the cop illustrates the mistaking of identities. The cop thinks the protagonist is a bad person about to start trouble, and the protagonist thinks the cop is a good person about to help him out of a potentially dangerous situation
 * How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme?**

The climax is when the cop, who thinks the protagonist is a bad person, make another mistake. The protagonist is about to pull out his ID and prove himself innocent, but the cop shoots him thinking he was drawing a gun. The protagonist at that moment feels relieved and thinks the cop is going to help him. He knows he doesn't have a gun, but because he feels safe with the cop, he doesn't take precautions and make a wrong move.
 * How does the climax help to illustrate the theme?**

“ Darkness has quietly been settling like soot. “
 * Give examples of each of the following literary terms in the story (use quotes):**
 * Simile:**

“ Cars jam the narrow streets and he worries that he might strike the grubby children who dart back and forth like startled fish. “ “ The store window illuminates the sidewalk like a stage.”

None.
 * Metaphor:**

“ The houses are squat, as though they have been taller and have slowly, sunk into the ground. “ “ ...hand-painted signs instructing purchasers to deposit twenty-five or fifty cents.”
 * Personification:**

His wallet, symbolizing his identity. His unshaven face, symbolizing his mistaken identity
 * Symbol:**

Although he has on blue jeans – matching pants and jacket made in Paris – he is driving a grey Mercedes Benz. Gangs of young men follow the car with unblinking eyes. - this illustrates how he is standing out So intent is he upon the future that he dangerously ignores the present and does not notice the police car, concealed in the shadows of a side street, nose out and follow him. - he is unaware of the police car following him closely with a pistol, ready to act In spite of his car, he hopes his day old beard which he strokes upward with the heel of his hand, will, when combined with his clothes, help him to blend in – to remain unnoticed. - he thinks that he is blending in, but he is actually doing the opposite
 * Foreshadowing (give both elements):**

The policeman was following the protagonist and suspecting something bad to happen but the protagonist didn’t know. The policeman thought the protagonist was a bad person and did not intend to help him. The wallet carrying the protagonist's ID was the easiest way to get prove himself innocent, but it was also the cause of his death.
 * Irony:**

Paper clogs the fence like drifted snow The houses are squat, as though they have been taller and have, slowly, sunk into the ground The store window illuminates the sidewalk like a stage
 * Imagery:**

The story is a good example of humanity, and how small mistakes made by humans can be fatal. The protagonist made the mistake of assuming he was safe and being guarded when really it was the opposite. The police officer made the mistake of thinking the man was a thief when he was only trying to call home to make sure his family isn’t worried about him.
 * Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story.**

The title of the short story “Identities” by W.D Valgardson illustrates the theme of the story. The main idea or theme of the short story is the mistaking of identities. The title refers to the different identities seen by the characters although some were false and some were real. The policeman saw the protagonist’s as a thief or some sort of gang leader. The protagonist viewed the police as his savior, or someone who can help him in the tight situation. The title also refers to the symbols in the story, such as the protagonist’s wallet, which symbolized his identity. He kept his identity hidden so he would not get robbed, but hiding his identity only further convinced the police officer that he was a bad person. The title “Identities” very clearly explains the theme and concept of the story using simply one word.
 * Identities – Title/Theme**

In the short story “Identities” by W.D Valgardson, the author used contrast to compare settings, and to create suspense. The story began in the main character’s home, where the reader learned that he lived in a very nice neighborhood. The character took his Mercedes Benz and drove around, ending up in a bad-looking neighborhood. He was followed into a store by a police officer who mistakenly identified the main character as a person who might start trouble. In turn, the main character identified the police officer as someone trying to help him because of the presence of some dangerous-looking men in the store. In the neighborhood where he lived, he was probably a stereotype, like most others that lived in the area, but in the other neighborhood he stood out far more. There was a great contrast between the two neighborhoods; therefore the main character was received differently. If he had wandered into a wealthy neighborhood, then he might have been treated different, but because of the big contrast, the main character was off-guard and did not make very wise choices/actions. There was also contrast between his physical appearance and the car he was driving which made him look guilty. He didn’t shave, and he wore expensive clothes; these made it seem as if he were a thug like most everybody else in the neighborhood, however, he was driving the Mercedes Benz, so it looked like he stole it. All of these things worked together to cause his accidental death. His death illustrates the theme, which is about the mistaking of identities and the events that follow. Contrast is heavily used in this short story to create suspense, and to illustrate the theme of the story.
 * Identities – Contrast/Theme**

In the short story “Identities” by W.D Valgardson, irony is used to illustrate theme and create suspense. The story involves a man who decides to venture out into a bad neighborhood, and gets mistaken for a thief. The mistaken identities are the cause of the death of the protagonist. There are many cases of irony in the story. In the story, the protagonist is driving around a bad neighborhood when he begins to feel guilty about not leaving a message for his wife. He then decides to stop and call her so that she doesn’t need to worry about him, however, the second he walks into the store, he is stopped by a police officer and shot. This illustrates how the police mistakenly identifies the protagonist as bad person, and how the protagonist mistakes the police officer as someone who is helping him. The protagonist stops to call his wife to make sure she isn’t worried, but he ends up getting shot. There is also the irony in the fact that the protagonist drives through a dangerous neighborhood filled with gangsters without getting hurt or running into trouble, but ends up getting shot by a policeman. Irony is very important in this story as it plays a big part in illustrating theme and making the story suspenseful and interesting.
 * Identities – Irony**