# Identity and Belonging in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

> Theme guide for The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano.

The narrative explores Equiano's dual identity as an African and a British subject, his pride in his Igbo heritage, and his struggle to find a place between his native culture and the European world he adopts.

## Where it surfaces

- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_interesting_narrative_of_the_life_of_olaudah_se/chapters/i): Equiano describes his cultural identity, naming customs, and the social structure of his community, emphasizing his place within it.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_interesting_narrative_of_the_life_of_olaudah_se/chapters/iii): Equiano is renamed Gustavus Vassa against his will, reflecting the loss of his original identity and the struggle to maintain a sense of self in a foreign land.
- [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_interesting_narrative_of_the_life_of_olaudah_se/chapters/xi): Equiano resists conversion to Catholicism despite the priest's offer of education and advancement, affirming his own Protestant faith and sense of self.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_interesting_narrative_of_the_life_of_olaudah_se/themes/identity_and_belonging
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_interesting_narrative_of_the_life_of_olaudah_se/themes