American identity demonstrates the way people purchase material possessions to determine how successful they are. The more expensive items they have, the wealthier they appear. In today's society, if someone sees another person with a better lifestyle, they automatically feel the need to have something better than them. In Jon Mooallem's "The Self-Storage Self," Mooallem describes how storage units help us define our identity. The more objects individuals put into storage units, it reveals who people actually are. As new items are constantly being made, old possessions becomes useless and end up in storage. People hold onto their old possessions since they have sentimental value to them. The argument that Mooallem implicitly makes about American identity, through the use of anecdotes of struggling but hopeful Americans, is that the most valuable possessions allow individuals to forget who they actually are, thus they become consumed.
Through the opening anecdote of Jimmy Sloan, Mooallem claims that individuals hold onto physical artifacts to retain memories from previous years. Individuals refuse to let go of their items because attached to them are moments that they are unable to recapture. These memories make them who they are and…show more content… She feels protected knowing that her grandmother will always be there to comfort her whenever she needs it. Mooallem demonstrates how “Home-cooked meals are awesome, and no one makes them like Grandma does” (107). By living with her grandmother, Danielle is receiving comfort, as a result, she is consumed. Her grandmother’s house will always be there for her Danielle was hopeful during her unfortunate as she will eventually get back on her feet. Mooallem mentions “She seemed incapable of not putting a good face on the situation” (107). This is showing that Danielle always seen the bright side of
