The Identity Of Matilda Laimo From Mister Tip 'And A Complicated Kindness'

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The identities of the main characters Matilda Laimo from Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones and Nomi Nickel from A complicated Kindness by Miriam Towes are influenced by their own history and by people around them, which also shape them as individuals. Both novels teach us that our identity is revealed when we are faced with difficulties in life. It is shown that identity comes from a mixture of factors such as time, culture, religion and place where one lives. The identities of Nomi and Matilda will further be explained. To understand someone’s identity, you also have to understand that people around them can influence them, as with Matilda. The inception where Mister Pip began shaping Matilda in her growth as a person was introduced by the following quote: “That was chapter one of Great Expectations which incidentally is the greatest novel by the greatest English author Charles Dickens” (Jones p. 21). “I knew all about departure. I know from Mister Pip about how to leave a place. I knew you don’t look back” (Jones p. 222). This quote supports how some events or people can influence one’s life that is Mister Pips influence on Matilda. These are examples of how one’s influence can affect someone else’s life.
Although Travis had an influence on Nomi, in this case, he had a negative influence as he states: “But before that, before the hospital and the field, sometime, I set a track on fire in the parking lot of the Kyro Motor Inn” (Towes p. 229). Another example on negative influence is when she confesses: “It’s sad, but I don’t know what I’ll do without my cigarettes” (Towes p. 85). In this case Travis influenced Nomi into smoking. These are prime examples of how people have influence on people, sometimes positive and at times negative. Clearly in Nomi’s case, Travis’s influence is

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