Identity In Hal Borland's When The Legends Die

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People thirst to discover their identity. Most will believe that they discovered and made their identity, but they didn’t. In Hal Borland’s “When The Legends Die”, It shows how a young indian boy’s (Thomas Black Bull) identity changes throughout his miserable life. Identities are formed more by society than by their owners. The first time that Thomas has his identity altered by society is when he is getting baptized, not because his parents wanted him to be baptized, but because the white society he was living in pressured his parents into it. While he was getting baptized, he had not yet been named, the parents wanted their son to find his own name, or identity. The priest disapproves and tells them that their child’s name is Thomas. Although