The Struggle With Identity

The struggle for an identity is the central emotional conflict for Louisiana, who stumbles from place to place without any determination of who she is. While living a nomadic life with Granny, she is told to believe that she was born to the Flying Elefantes, and that she carries the curse of Hiram Elefante with her. Despite the tragedy of the Elefante name, it is a name that Louisiana bears with pride and holds as her own. Having never grown up with parents and with very little stability to speak of, the Elefante name holds a strong power for Louisiana, as it is an integral part of who she is as a person, filling in for the lack of things she has never had. When she first meets Burke Allen, the history of the Elefante curse is the first thing she mentions, as...