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Essay / Reasons for Lucas' Suicide in Good Hair - 1349
There are three reasons why Lucas commits suicide, and each reason teaches Alice an important lesson. The first reason is that Lucas felt he had no identity and did not fit in with his peers and other social groups. Second, Lucas was unable to commit to relationships. The last reason is that Lucas felt very guilty about trying to rape Alice. Although all of these reasons negatively affected Lucas and were the cause of his suicide, they also taught Alice valuable lessons that allowed her to improve her life. Without the lessons of identity, cultural perspective, and self-esteem, Alice would not have been able to move forward with the changes in her life. In the Good Hair storyline, Lucas' lack of identity was one of the main problems. reasons why he committed suicide. In his suicide note, Lucas references his inability to fit into any of his school's cultures. This made life difficult and created problems with Lucas regarding who he was and his place in society. This issue with his lack of identity created hatred and tension internally because of the people he surrounded himself with. “I felt like I could never find a place where I could be myself and be accepted,” Lucas said in the letter. This statement shows the loneliness Lucas felt from not being able to be part of a group. His identity and the label he tried to fit into didn't exist and because of that he couldn't feel complete. Additionally, Lucas states in his letter that "...trying to fit in, pretending I was something I wasn't" was what persuaded him to buy the sailboat that racked up his parents' credit card debt. The desire to feel accepted by his associates and by his parents was something that hurt him in society and in his personal relationships. Lucas' commitment to sharing his final words with his sister shows deep love and respect for the one he caused so much pain. The identity he created when he died shows weakness and a false idea of what success really is. Alice's healing of her own scars begins when she realizes that denial of the events of her past has also prevented her from living for the future. With this latest set of circumstances, Alice can now become the person she truly considers herself to be; An independent black professional woman who doesn't fit the mold society has laid out for her. Lucas gave her the freedom to create her own identity and the freedom to use her life mistakes as lessons for her own well-being and survival of identity issues, societal views and her relationships..