Self-Identity In Flight Patterns

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The story "Flight Patterns", based in the United States, was about the dilemmas with racial profiling. William, a Native American descent, struggles with his self-identity. William believes everyone around him judges him through his appearance and presentation. I perceive William as having a low self-esteem which portrays him as a negative individual. William always worries about what others think of him. William states, "We're all trapped by other people's ideas, aren't we?"(Alexie 63)
William was obsessed with what society thought of him. Sherman Alexis describes him by, "No matter where he lived, William always felt uncomfortable, so he enjoyed other people's discomfort."(60) William was insecure with himself. As Sherman describes, "William was obsessive about his mane, tying and retying his ponytail, knotting and reknotting his braids, experimenting with this shampoo and that conditioner."(55) The story takes place shortly after 9-11 hijacking. While William was a brown-skinned man with dark hair and eyes, he wanted everyone to know who and what he was. "William might have wanted to irritate other people, but he didn't want to scare them."(Alexie 60) He was guilty of stereotyping others as he felt everyone did him. "However, no matter how much he tried to laugh his fear away, William always scanned the airports and airplanes for little brown guys who reeked of fundamentalism."(Alexie 57)
William was married to Maria, with a daughter named Grace. He loved his family very much. "He constantly made passes at her, not necessarily expecting to be successful, but to remind her he still desired her and was excited by the thought of her."(Alexie 56) William worked as a salesman. He was described as an obsessive workaholic, his job i...

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...xpress themselves when interacting with others.”(McLeod)
William behaviors can all be described as someone with low self-esteem. However, this does not make William a bad person, just negative. William cares about others, as when he states he do not want to scare anyone, he enjoyed other people’s discomfort. At first, William had trouble interacting with Fekadu by avoiding eye contact, feeling uncomfortable, and trying not to engage in conversation. Fekadu continued to talk and caught William's attention with the story of losing his family. William and Fekadu, from two different cultures and two different lives, reiterate the importance of love and family. Paths cross for reasons and when the paths cross they can have substantial impact on someone’s life. Some readers may view William as harsh and bitter, but I see him as a caring man trying to cope in cruel world.

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