THE IDENTITY CRISIS OF RETA WINTERS: GENDER AND ETHNICITY IN CAROL SHIELD’S UNLESS

Abstract

Carol Shield’s novel Unless (2002) mainly revolves around Reta Winter’s identity crisis in comparison to her past and present self. As an activist in her youth and a current writer, Reta’s world turns upside down after the news that one of her daughters, Norah, unexpectedly decides to live in the street. This incident reminds Reta how much she is estranged from her past self in the journey of self-discovery and how it leads her into an identity crisis. In this research paper, it will be discussed how Reta’s life changes after her daughter Norah’s choice, how Alicia, one of the protagonists in Reta’s novel, changes her life choices dramatically, and how Canada’s multiculturalism policy is presented in life. The interconnectedness among Norah’s choice of living in the street by sitting behind a cardboard sign “goodness” (after experiencing a traumatic incident), the references related to Norah’s clothes and where she chooses to sit, and the relationship between Norah’s traumatic event and Canada’s multiculturalism policy will lead Reta to revisit her past self that she has forgotten for a very long time and will guide her to remember her old self as the other. Reta’s personal trauma and Canada’s cultural trauma will be analyzed in the scope of literary trauma theories by the contribution of the pioneers in this field, particularly Cathy Caruth.