Percy Jackson Identity

The Abandoned and the Marginalized in Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian

The basic need of a human being in his social life is that of identity. Identity not just of name but of class, creed, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, etc. Humans over the course of time have devised many boundaries among themselves to differentiate and classify themselves which has also led to discrimination and alienation. Every human is supposed to have a certain label from the many existing categories or else he is isolated. Anything that cannot be defined is feared and it is important for humans to label themselves and others so as to co-exist without having to fear every waking moment of their lives. The unknown causes a sense of absurdity and insecurity

The first book starts with Percy addressing the reader and the first line he says is , “Look, I didn’t want to be a half blood.” At the age of twelve he becomes aware of his reality and the world turns upside down for him. For twelve years he thought he was a normal human being but he really was a half-blood and this sudden confrontation of his reality is quite shocking for him to take in. The book series narrates Percy’s journey as a hero and is an action packed treat for youngsters but when we draw parallels with the real world we have a deeper insight and are able to see the inner meanings. Since the moment he is marked as a demi-god Percy is in a race to become a hero, to be called a hero by everyone and especially become one in the eyes of his immortal father Poseidon, the Greek god of Sea. There is a constant need to be accepted by the immortal world, his camp mates, the Olympians. The obvious parallel with the actual world that can be drawn here is the case of illegitimate children abandoned by their parents and orphans. The Greek gods though they have immortal consorts, tend to come down to earth and have affairs with humans and the children born out of the unions have to face a future which they didn’t deserve with

Already infuriated with their parents abandonment the half bloods born of minor gods envy the half-bloods born of major gods and want to overthrow them and establish the superiority of minor gods with the help of the Titans. They have no place at Camp Half blood and their parents have no place at Olympus and yet they are to do the bidding of the twelve Olympians. Not just demi-gods but the minor gods themselves feel that they are discriminated and looked down upon by the Olympians and their kids and start shifting to the Titans’ side. The main example of this would be Ethan Nakamura , the son of Nemesis, the goddess of revenge who joins the Titan army even after Percy having saved his life. He says in the end “There is no throne to Nemesis. No throne to my