Stuck Between Two Worlds
In Sag Harbor, Coleson Whitehead explores what it's like to be stuck between two worlds: one that represents comfortability and familiarity, and another that represents the pressure to adjust the way you act in order to fit in. We see this with the narrator and protagonist of the story, Benji, who comes from Manhattan and attends an exclusive, predominantly white private school where he frequently feels like an outsider. “I remember one day in the seventh grade when an old white man stopped us on a corner and asked us if we were the sons of a diplomat. Little princes of an African country. The U.N. being half a mile away. Because–why else would black people dress like that?” (Whitehead 4). Throughout the novel, Whitehead uses Benji’s experiences with Manhattan and Sag Harbor to show how living between two different worlds affects his character and sense of belonging. During his school year in Manhattan, Benji is constantly aware of how different he is from the people around him. ...