Identity and the Self

The author uses Mickey’s firing from Wave to incite thematic explorations regarding identity and the self. Before losing her job, Mickey feels close to achieving all that she has ever dreamed of. When she starts at Wave, “Wave’s former editor in chief, Lily,” hires her “to do her thing, which she’d deciphered to mean write about Black issues” (27, Denton-Hurst’s italics). She therefore feels that she has achieved the version of self she understands best.

In Chapter 1, the narrator describes Mickey as “a writer, full stop” (4). Mickey therefore defines herself by her writing and her work. This is indeed why she feels adrift once she loses her job at the magazine. In Chapter 6, her insecurity about her ability to write and sustain her career leaves her wondering if “Lex didn't understand what it meant for the work to be all...