"This above all: be true to yourself, /And it must follow, as night follows day, /You cannot to be false to no man” (Hamlet, 1.3.154-56). As Shakespeare eloquently wrote, finding yourself is the key to truth. This idea is an important theme in Kate Chopin's "The Awakening," Mark Twain's "Wilson the Loon," and Charles Chesnutt's The Wife of My Youth through different aspects of identity and society's reaction. Chopin's "The Awakening," Twain's "Wildlife," and Chesnutt's The Wife of His Youth all address the possibilities and limitations of accepting aspects of one's gender, racial, and class identity in relation to U.S. society 19th century. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In Chopin's "The Awakening," the main identity struggle is between sexuality and independence versus traditional female roles in 19th-century Louisiana. Exposed to female gender expression in Creole culture, Edna Pontellier realizes that expression and identity are not limited by social rules. Edna has suppressed her true self, conforming to the identity expected of her since childhood. "Since she was a child she had lived her little life entirely within herself. Very early she had instinctively perceived the double life: that external existence that conforms, the internal life that questions" (Chopin, 35). As she spends the summer with the Creoles, Edna begins to see herself as an individual, rather than simply a part of society or her husband's possession. Edna begins to defy her husband, even denying him sex, while pursuing her own interests. His happiness grows with his independence. “In short, Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relationships as an individual to the world within and around her” (Chopin, 33). However, as he continues to become more independent, he becomes more and more isolated from society. "Edna stared straight ahead with a self-centered expression on her face. She felt no interest in anything about herself. The street, the children, the greengrocer, the flowers growing there before her eyes, were all part and parcel of a world stranger suddenly become antagonist” (Chopin, 138). Edna saw the world as alien and distant. She no longer felt interested or part of it of her true self led her to choose between being an unhappy insider or a contented but isolated one. Edna made a decision outside of these two options. As she swam to shore, Edna was reminded of her independence in learning to swim (Chopin, 302). She also thought of her wealthy family; "She thought of Léonce and the children. They were part of his life. But they must not think they could possess her, body and soul" (Chopin, 302). Instead of choosing family or liberation, Edna chose death. Twain's "Pudd'nhead Wilson" explores the boundaries of race, with conflict main represented by the swapped identities of Tom and Chambers, who are two different races. Tom is raised as white and Chambers is raised as black, even though Tom is black and Chambers is white novel, both face the reality of their true selves. While in prison, Tom reacts badly to the realization: "Then [Tom] lay down heavily again, with a groan and muttering words: 'A nigger [sic]! [sic]! Oh, I wish I were dead!" (Twain, 76.) Tom has been black his entire life.