Identity

The theme of identity highlights Evvie’s struggle to understand herself as an individual after viewing herself as a counterpart to other people, like Tim and her father, for so many years. Evvie has lost herself under the pressures of pleasing Tim, maintaining appearances in public, and acting like everything is fine with her after her husband’s death. She reveals just how lost she become when she says, “I knew I should never have tried to be happy” (231). After her controlling relationship with Tim, she has learned to undervalue her self-worth. For months after his death, she still struggles to see herself as an individual and pursue her aspirations.

Dean also struggles with his identity once he must retire from professional baseball. The media has dubbed him a “head case,” which is a label he takes to heart (42). He attempts to move past this disappointment...