Identity
“Black women’s identities are not rigid, fixed entities, but fluid - contingent upon personal, cultural, political, and social variables. Identity (re)formation is a continuous process of (re)positioning within meaningful socio-historic structures.� gloria j. gibson-hudson “the ties that bind: cinematic representations…� (p. 214)
This quote captures the changes experienced by the four main characters in Set It Off. At the beginning of the movie, each woman has her own identity which is influenced by the environment she lives and works in. The character of Frankie has carved out a new identity for herself by working hard and moving up in her bank job. Unfortunately, her identity is destroyed when someone from her neighborhood robs the bank. To Frankie’s boss, her identity is based on social variables that she has no control over.
The character of Stony is also an example of how fluid identities can be. At the beginning of the movie, Stony is a young woman from the bad side of town who has worked hard to raise her younger brother after her parents die in a car accident. Her hopes and wishes are all tied to helping her brother go to college and escape the neighborhood. However, her identity is forever changed when her brother is shot and killed by police who mistakenly believe he is a bank robber. After her brother’s death, Stony feels she has nothing to lose and joins her friends in a bank robbery scheme. Her identity becomes even more fluid when she begins to date a successful banker and moves back and forth between the world of the projects and the world of the upper class. Stony’s identity changes as her environment and circumstances change. The characters in Set It Off are a strong example of identity (re)formation.