Identity is a state of mind in which someone recognizes/identifies their own character traits which leads to discovering who they are and what they do and not that of someone else. In other words, it's basically who you are and what you define yourself to be. The theme of identity is often expressed in books/novels or pretty much any other piece of literature so that the reader can become curious and relate to the characters and their emotions. It is useful in helping readers understand that a person's state of mind is filled with arduous thoughts about who they are and what they want to be. People can try to change their identity all they want, but that can never change. The topic of identity is a very tiring topic to understand but at the same time very interesting if understood. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez and Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki are two extraordinary books that describe the theme of identity. Both deal with people who have an identity that they have tried to change to feel more comfortable in the society to which they belong. The families in these books come from a certain country from which they are forced to immigrate to the United States due to certain circumstances. This causes family trauma for young people who sometimes have to try to change to maintain a comfortable life. Both authors: Alvarez and Houston wrote their own novels It is such an illustrative issue that identity can be clearly represented within the characters as a way to adapt to their new lives. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez is the story of four girls who are forced to leave their country, the Dominican Republic. This happened because her father got in trouble with the police... middle of paper... true American and she overlooked who he really was. Jeanne is a different person but as she grows and becomes more mature through her experiences, she realizes that she cannot transform her identity no matter how hard she tries. The theme of identity was clearly stated in How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez and Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki. In both novels, families are forced to emigrate from their homeland as an act of protection. As the main characters try to adapt to their new environment, they experience extreme pressure in trying to remain comfortable and stable such that their identity (who they are) changes. But once they return home these characteristics are soon recognized by them and they realize that you cannot change who you are and your identity will always remain the same.