In Beloved, there are several different main characters, and the author Toni Morrison has each character shape their identities differently. Beloved, the ghost, shapes her identity by tormenting those who live in the house and making her presence known. When she returns as a human, she makes her presence known by returning to a childlike personality and relying on others. As Denver and Sethe are attempting to make Beloved comfortable and happy, she begins to torment the house as she did when she was a ghost. In the beginning of the story, Sethe's identity is shaped around her past and the murder of her child. Although she does not choose her identity, she is outcast from society and left with Denver in 124. Towards the end of the novel, Sethe is no longer worried about what others think or worried about her own well being. By failing to report to her job on time, she is fired and stays home with Beloved, permanently. Sethe's identity changes from the strong adult to a weak child as she relies on Beloved for her happiness. While Sethe is becoming weaker, Denver's personality is becoming stronger as she does not rely on her mother and learns to take care of herself. Not only does Denver have to take care of herself, she also has to provide for her mother and Beloved. Denver's identity changes in the end of the book because she realizes she must leave 124 in order to live a better life. This drastic change in her mentality shows strength and knowledge in her character. In Beloved, Morrison shows how easy it is to create ones identity based on the identities of those who we rely on and who rely on us.

In The Stranger, Meursault strays away from common ways to create an identity for ones self. Although he is obviously an outcast from society, he has a better sense of himself more than others do. He does not care what other people think about him or his ways and does not conform to the normality others. This lack of conformity bothers other people and makes them uncomfortable when they see the way Meursault handles the situations he encounters. He is perfectly content when he does not cry at his mother's funeral because he does not feel the need to express his emotions in a normal way. This different reaction allows other people to assume Meursault does not care about his mother and he is psychologically troubled. Meursault has already shaped his own identity but not in a way that other people choose to. Rather than basing his personality on other people's perceptions, he does what feels right to him, whether people are comfortable with it or not.

In The Metamorphosis, Gregor is unable to find his own identity due to the lack of compassion and recognition from his parents, as well as the dislike of his job and the path his future is heading in. With this constant unrest from his lack of purpose, Gregor mentally (or physically, depending on your view of the story) transforms himself into a whole new creature. Gregor attempts to form and shape his identity by changing his entire physical self. As Gregor changes he realizes how much more of an outcast he becomes by becoming a bug, because he has now disgusted his family and made them despise the thought of a beetle within their house.
Gregor tries to create a new identity because he hates who he is becoming, however when he changes, he is hated even more than before and becomes completely useless to his family. Tragically, Gregor's attempt to create his own identity makes him an outcast within society as well as his family.