The White Boy Shuffle by Paul Beatty brings upon the topic of racial identity, which is something we haven’t read before in this course. As we have learned, Gunnar’s upbringing is non-traditional compared to other characters such as Bigger or Janie. He grew up in Santa Monica, a place where he describes as being the only African American kid in school. Despite standing out, he still feels comfortable and is able to assimilate to his environment. With the conclusion of chapter 2, there’s a sense that Gunnar knew his identity thanks to David Schoenfield who taught him, “somehow through being with you I learned I was black and that being black meant something…” (Beatty 40). Yet, after Gunnar’s mom decided to move to another area, where Gunnar describes as being in the “hood”. Although Gunnar’s appearance is similar to the people around him, he is actually very out of place. He dresses differently and speaks differently. For example, he doesn’t talk in slang or wear more worn o