So What Are You, Anyway?

Written from the third person limited point of view, “So What Are You, Anyway?” centralizes the physical and emotional experiences of the main character Carole in order to access the author’s overarching examinations of Loss of Innocence, Race as a Social Construct, and Prejudice as an Attack on Identity and Belonging. The entirety of the short story’s events and conflicts are filtered through the young biracial protagonist’s mind. In this way, the author is compelling his reader to see, experience, and process the socio-political tensions of 1970s American and Canadian cultures from Carole’s vantage point. By allowing the third person narrator to inhabit Carole’s consciousness throughout the story, the author simultaneously grants the reader insight into Carole’s psyche, highlighting her developing awareness of the world and capturing her youthful sense of self.

Carole is a child in the narrative present, and she is unconcerned with issues of race, prejudice, and discrimination. The narrator makes no indication that Carole is aware of the age in which she lives or the socially-imposed significance of her identity in this age. Rather, Carole’s primary concerns include being on a plane by herself, traveling to see her grandparents, and taking care of her doll Amy.