Lopez 1!

Cindy Lopez
Jennifer Rodrick
English 114B
4/25/16
Project Text (2nd Draft)
In Every Day by David Levithan, we see how this soul/person, A, changes bodies every
day, coming in and out of various different lives. As A has progressed in living his life switching
bodies since birth, it has been shaped alongside of the experiences he has had. The amount of
things A has gone through as a 16 year old is immense. There are so many new and repetitive
experiences that A has gained knowledge from. Ones identity is formed or shaped by the space
one is in, the people we are surrounded by impact us and so do experiences. We all learn a lot
from our own experiences, and that knowledge obtained integrates into ones identity. A may not
have actual parents, friends, or a family of its own, but he has experienced things that not
everyone has. A has definitely formed an identity through the amount of time he has been
traveling through bodies, with constantly meeting new people and being in new environments.
Although, some readers may say that A does not obtain the components to have an identity, for
A, the experiences are what has allowed him to have an identity of his own.
Living every day in a different body, encountering different situations and people, forces
this soul/person to accommodate. A is essentially expected to go in and out of these bodies living
these people lives as a norm. This experience is key to showing how it has shaped who A is now.
As A has been living this way, he has developed character, qualities, and certain beliefs; which
distinguish and identify A as a person or thing. Ones identity consists of just that, character,

Lopez 2!
qualities, beliefs, etc., that make us who we are. As character is essentially a soul/spirit, not reallife existent, yet he has many characteristics that we do ourselves. A has character, and even if he
is in a different body he remains his self deep down, and we can even see it when A does not act
like the person he is in. A is able to distinguish himself as A, with no set gender, sexuality, etc.
This thing that travels bodies reminds himself every day, I am myself I know I am myself
but I am also someone else (1).
At times in the book, A shows to reveal his true self, we see what he is like in terms of
character. On Day 6005, A is in Kelsea Cooks body, a girl who is depressed and mentally ill. A
does everything in his capability to give Kelsea the help she needs to save her life and ultimately
succeeds. Here A shows to be selfless, which is an aspect of who he is. This experience of many
throughout his existence, may have shaped A in the way that affected who he should be, a
caretaker for the bodies it is in control of for the day. In the book A also demonstrates viewpoints
on gender, sexuality, and religion, which also show he is. A expresses many ideas and concepts
of its own, and they shine through the bodies it resides in. As true self is empowering that at
times it is hard for him to be the person it is in, to be someone they are not.
As we are introduced to A in the beginning of the book, he inhabits Justins body, in
which it realizes the differences between who they both are. Justin is in no way like A, so here it
is hard for A to act like Justin, it is hard for him to not treat Justins girlfriend, Rihannon, as he
should. When A is in Justins body, it transforms Justin into someone
he is not, this soul/spirit transforms him to itself. A here, and
throughout the book, shows its character, qualities, and beliefs that
make him who he is. In a way it is as if A wears a mask, hidden in a

Lopez 3!
different body every day. A has a masked identity. As A switches bodies, his own identity is
covered with someone elses each day. Although this is the case, A brings along with him, his
true identity.
For A, rather than losing his identity from being in different bodies every day,
experiencing life in different peoples bodies only enhances his own identity. With what A goes
through, he is able to obtain various perspectives on life that greatly
shape who he is. Throughout the course of the book, there are specific
bodies that A inhabits which enable him to transport into different
worlds. A has lived days as people with different sexualities, illnesses,
disabilities, etc. While A is in each body he gains knowledge from every
situation and it reflects on who he is.
In the novel, we see that A is very fluid, he does not have a set
gender, sexuality, ethnicity, etc. A does not have what identifies each one of us in the real world.
As Miranda McDermott states in the article Booktalking "Every Day" by David Levithan, A
can only be conceptualized by personality characteristics, intellect, etc., not a corporeal
existence, not a particular gender. McDermott shows how even if A is not existent as a body, he
is able to be distinguished by his personality features. It shows the reader that ones soul is
important to who one is, and A that is all that really matters in who he is. Bodily appearance and
physical characteristics are nonexistent and unimportant to identify A, when we can see his
identity through his character, qualities, beliefs, etc.

Lopez 4!
Work Cited
Levithan, David. Every Day. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. Print.
Miranda McDermott. Booktalking "Every Day" by David Levithan. The New York Public
Library, 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Face Masks. Google. n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. (photo)
All That Remains. DeviantArt. n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016 (photo)