Identity can mean who you are, your self, but it can also mean an identity—two things that are the same. So identity is both one and two—or more than that on Solaris, where people keep appearing out of thin air and replicating and splitting into several. How many people are there in Kelvin, anyway? How many people is Rheya? How many brains are floating around in that ocean? Rheya is part of Kelvin, and Kelvin is part of you, if you read him. In Solaris, it's hard to keep track of your self, and harder to figure if this self is in your head or out there, somewhere in space wearing a different dress… or the same one.
Questions About Identity
- How many Rheyas are there, anyway? Are they all the same person? Explain your answer.
- If all the Rheyas are the same person, is that person Kelvin? Explain why or why not.
- Is the ocean just a reflection of the scientists? Does it have its own identity?
- Is the Kelvin at the beginning of the novel the same as the Kelvin at the end? How is this different from the multiple Rheyas… or isn't it?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Rheya is the most real part of Kelvin.
The ocean is the most real part of Kelvin.