Narratives and identities.

This week on narratives and the performance of narratives made me think about the discrepancies—often in the form of competing stories/voices—found in narratives. There exists a grey zone, as one may argue, that is established from competing discourses on the accuracy of historical narratives. Thomas King writes, “Do stories we tell reflect the world as it truly is, or did we simply start off with the wrong story? We understand that we clearcut forests not to enrich the lives of animals but to make profit. We know that we damn rivers not to improve water quality but to create electricity and protect private property.” If what he says is true, where does the grey zone exist in how we understand our world through stories? I wonder if the discrepancy between narratives is essential for understanding the world as a social construction.

If we are born with the “wrong story,” how might this shape our understanding of how narratives shape our identities? If this is the case, can the grey zone prove to be a source for discovering alternative identities?