Young people today are arguably more familiar with notions of identity than previous generations, what with all our Facebook accounts, Twitter handles, and the good old-fashioned names that go on our driver's licenses. Still, that might just complicate our notions of identity more than clarify it. Lucky for us, More Than Human studies the concept of identity in detail. In most fiction, characters have distinct identities. Here, several constitute a single life form with its own. The novel also considers the concept in terms of morality and ethics: How does one's own identity determine what he or she should do?
Questions About Identity
- The gestalt life form is compared to a body, musicians, and radio receivers. Can you make your own analogy for it?
- Which characters' sense of who they are changes throughout the novel, and which characters feel themselves to have consistent identities? How so?
- How does the identity of Homo Gestalt differ from the gestalt that is the subject of the novel?
Chew on This
People's identities as individuals are more important than their participations in groups.
People's participations in groups are more important than their identities as individuals.