Dominguez 1

Jessica Dominguez Cotzajay

Professor Corri Ditch
English 113B
08 May 2015
Outcast to Acceptance
People face difficulties and successes. People face new cultures, new people, and a new
environment. These aspects are what influence a person to shape their identity and how they are
able to interact with others. In the novel, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,
many of the characters face challenges, successes, cultural transitions, and much more that help
influence their identity. One character, in particular, that is influenced by her surroundings is
Juliet Ashton, a writer from London, England. An event that affected Juliet the most was the
loss of her beloved home due to a bombing from World War II. She did not feel the joy she did
at first living in England, but rather she felt unsure and unsafe. Because of the event, her
perspective shifted towards England. Later, through a letter written by a man named Dawsey
Adams from Guernsey Island changes Juliets perspective by introducing her to a new culture
and people. By sending letters back and forth, it intrigued Juliet to go visit, to see, and to
experience Guernsey Island. This resulted in her permanently living there because she felt
accepted. Although Juliet Ashton lived in England, she felt out of place as if she did not belong
there, which led her to become emotionally weaker; but because of the exposure to the new
people and culture of Guernsey Island, she found more hope and acceptance that led her to
become emotionally stronger again.
From a young age, Juliet Ashton lived in England in different locations. When her
parents passed away, she was sent to live with her uncle. Due to her running away twice, her

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uncle decided to send her to a boarding school. Juliet felt out of place at the boarding school that
she wanted to run away again. Although, the idea of running away again changed when she met
Sophie Stark and her family, which became a true reason for Juliets regained spirits (Shaffer
and Barrows 46). This regained spirit would slowly fade away as she became older. During
the time she lived in England to pursue her writing career, World War II occurred. The culture
in England shifted drastically. Everything is so broken Sophie: the roads, the buildings, the
people. Especially the people (7). The culture that Juliet once lived in was changing due to the
war. Because of the loss of her home being bombed, she started to lose even more hope. I
should be thrilled. But the truth is that Im gloomy---gloomier than I ever was during the war
(12). The war affected Juliet not only mentally but also emotionally.
Aside from the effects of World War II, Juliet from the start felt out of place living in
London. She could not find any common ground in this new environment. She would question
it. What is the matter with me? Am I too particular? (8). This quote reflects the idea of
marriage through her perspective being different from the other women who just married to
marry. At times, she felt the need to act differently than how she really wanted to. Along with
being different, it is also revealed that she is uncomfortable and would rather go back to the days
when she could be herself with Sophie, her family and other people. I wish I could sneak away
to your farm and have you coddle me. Youd let me put my feet on the sofa, wouldnt you? (7).
This quote is from a letter she sends to her close friend Sophie. She wishes to be with someone,
like her, she knows well and understands her. Juliet felt out of place in England. To her,
England was not a home. The environment and people in England had affected Juliet. She was
about to marry a man who was completely different from her. He was self-consumed, and did
not acknowledge Juliets love for books. She almost made the same mistake when she was about

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to be engaged to Mark. This showed Juliet that she could not really find common things with
people in England. She also lost her home in England. A part of her went away when her house
was bombed. Also, she did not enjoy living in a place where she was not close to the ones she
loved. Sophie was in another country raising her own family, and Sidney would go off to
business meetings or trips; the only communications were through telegrams or letters. This
made Juliet feel not only unaccepted in England but also lonely.
Environment, people, and cultures has a great impact on each person-whether the person
expects it or not. People change part of themselves without always being aware of it, actively
and seamlessly manage identities by making only certain identities salient in a given moment
(Kurylo 4). Juliet acted differently being with others and in another environment. For Juliet,
many of the events that happened in England had an impact on her. Her identity shifted from
being in the public eye as a professional author to being herself writing letters to close friends.
This showed how her identity changed from one person to another. Being in England led her to
not be who she really is. In the article Exploring Dominant Discourses: Creating Spaces To
Find Voice And Cultural Identity, it states that finding ones individual voice in a different
context can be difficult, especiallyundergoing cross-cultural transitions and experiences a
great number of life changes (25). For Juliet, it was difficult for her to relate to the culture of
London. England was known for its great culture, but to her it was not a place where she felt
accepted. Although, changes occur when she gets to know about a place called Guernsey Island.
Juliet receives a letter from a man named Dawsey Adams about a book. This is the start
to Juliet being exposed to the people and culture of Guernsey Island. At first, the letters were
mainly about recommendations of books and the book club in Guernsey. The more letters
exchanged between them, the more Juliet became curious about the culture and people of

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Guernsey Island. This then led to her communicating with others from there. She became
excited every time a letter arrived by one of the people from Guernsey Island. She felt as if she
were living more in Guernsey than I am in London at the moment-I pretend work with one ear
cocked for the sound of the post dropping in the box, and when I hear it, I scramble down the
stairs breathless for the next piece of the story (Shaffer and Barrows 93-94). This change of
perspective for Juliet is known as a cross-cultural transition, which refers to the shift between
familiar and unfamiliar environments (qtd. in Young, Kozak, Nancoo, Hao-Min, Middendorf,
and Gale 25). The idea of cross-cultural transition reflects through Juliet because although she
lives in England, she has a stronger connection with the people from Guernsey Island (even
though she never met them). This meaning that she felt accepted by a culture and people that is
only experienced through letters rather than a culture and environment she has lived in-England.
Through the letters, relationships formed with the people from Guernsey Island grew
stronger. She was able to find things in common with each person. This made her feel accepted
by the community of Guernsey Island. Because of the strong bond created with each person, it
encouraged Juliet to take the risk and to go visit Guernsey Island. She wanted to experience
Guernsey Island. I want to get out of London. I want to go to Guernsey (Shaffer and Barrows
134). This quote reflects the eagerness that Juliet wanted to visit Guernsey. Once Juliet arrived
in Guernsey, she is excited yet worried of what she is about to face. The nerves fade away as
soon as she is received with welcoming, loving arms from Isola, Dawsey, Eben, Eli, Amelia, and
Kit. As they were heading back home to get settled, Juliet felt as though it really were my
home (161). It is just her first day in Guernsey Island and she knew at that moment that she is
finally accepted in a place where she could be herself. She found hope and happiness once again
which led her to become emotionally stronger again. Her close friend Sidney noticed the

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positive changes that occurred to Juliet She looks as healthy as a horse now and is full of her
old zestI think she may never want to live in London again-though she doesnt realize it
yetthe people seem to have seduced her from city life (193-194). Juliet felt at ease being in
Guernsey with people that made her feel accepted, have hope again, and be emotionally stronger.
The moment she stepped out of the boat in Guernsey, the people she had been
communicating through letters with welcomed her and she knew that she could be herself. Juliet
felt even more accepted the moment that her and Kit, Elizabeth McKennas daughter, became
close. The connection between them was that they both lost their parents at a young age, and
only opened up to those they could trust. The trust built between them drew Kit closer to her.
Juliet became a motherly figure to Kit. When Kit shared her secret box, Juliet knew that she had
a purpose to stay in Guernsey. I dont care about living in London-I love Guernsey and want to
stay here (259). Juliet found a new environment where she not only felt accepted but also knew
she had a reason to stay.
Although Juliet felt accepted in Guernsey, some would argue that if she were to stay in
England she could have been accepted by the culture and grown emotionally stronger rather than
being in Guernsey. According to the article Exclusionary Reactions to Foreign Cultures:
Effects of Simultaneous Exposure to Cultures in Globalized Space, living in an unknown
environment could have led Juliet to have a psychological effects of simultaneous exposure to
dissimilar cultures (716). This meaning that moving to Guernsey Island became a risk that
could have gone wrong, which could have made her mentally and emotionally hurt even more.
Juliet connecting and visiting Guernsey Island could have been unsafe because she did not know
what to expect. If Guernsey did not accept her, just like England did not, this would harm her
mentally and emotionally more. Yes, these could have been possible consequences of going to

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Guernsey Island, but Juliet looked beyond that and found a deeper connection with the culture
and people of Guernsey Island. Although she did live in England, it is revealed through letters
that she was unhappy. She felt disconnected and out of place in an area she was raised in. Due
to the bombing of her beloved home, she did not see England as a home anymore. She did know
little about the culture and people of Guernsey, but she was able to connect more with those
people than where she lived. This demonstrates that a significance of place for identity is often
connected to the memories or cultural understandings that are attached to the place rather than
the place itself (Jackson, Glenn, and Williams 119). In other words, the quote explains that it is
the place that holds a special connection rather than the physical aspect. For Juliet, it was the
people from Guernsey who held that connection with her, unlike those in England (only
exception being the Stark family). It was a matter of her feeling acceptance and being
emotionally stronger in Guernsey Island that helped her find a place where she belonged.
Juliet Ashton went from England, a place where she did not feel accepted, to moving to
Guernsey Island, a place where she was fully accepted. Because of the communication she had
with the community of Guernsey, she was able to form long lasting friendships and relationships
that helped her along the way. Through this, Juliet was able to feel emotionally stronger, to have
hope, and to feel accepted once again. Juliet lived through many difficult situations that affected
her mentally and emotionally. She felt a lack of hope, emotions, and acceptance. She was able
to regain all of that back in Guernsey Island. She did not feel like the woman who was lost in
England, but rather a woman who found herself in a culture she never expected. She was a new
woman in Guernsey Island.

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Works Cited:
Jackson II, Ronald L., Cerise L. Glenn and Kesha Morant Williams. "Self-Identity and
Culture." 2013.
Kurylo, Anastacia. "Culture and Communication." 2013.
Lee, Boh Young, et al. "Exploring Dominant Discourses: Creating Spaces To Find Voice And
Cultural Identity." Journal of Cultural Diversity 2013: 21-29.
Shaffer, Mary Ann and Annie Barrows. "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society."
2009.
Torellie, Carlos J., et al. "Exclusionary Reactions to Foreign Cultures: Effects of
Simultaneous Exposure to Cultures in Globalized Space." Journal of Social Issues
2011: 716-742.