They take a break in a railway station in Philadelphia and Samuel, in his need to explore and understand the new world he is surrounded by, begins wondering alone in his need to belong. In the men’s toilets, he is a witness to a murder and is traumatized by it. Evidently, it changes him and his views of the world are forever altered. When he is confronted by another Amish named Eli, he is asked a series of questions leading up to as to whether he would ever kill a man. Samuel replies to this question by stating, “...only the bad men”. Clearly, this emphasizes the change seen in Samuel through his interactions with others outside the Amish community. This proves that in general, the need to belong and the people we are influenced and surrounded by can have some significant impacts affecting who we …show more content…
In fact, they may try to reassure us that it is only our individual actions that instigate who we become. This may be particularly true in matters where the need for someone to belong to is denied by their biological family. However, it cannot be taken as a rule in general and is rarely the case. As put forward by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, our search for a group to interact and be part of is essential before feelings of self-esteem and self-actualization can be met. For our needs to be met we would not try to establish relationships with those who we have nothing in common or loathe. We are more likely to form bonds to those who resemble us most and share common interests with. It is only when these ties are broken that we feel more susceptible of any danger looming our way and immediately we form new relations with a more different group. To fit in, this may require the adjustments of our own personality since every group has their own special and unique identity to begin