Who Are You?
(I really wanna know)
Who are you?
There are so many ways to answer that question!
Some respond with their jobs, vocations, hobbies, or careers: doctor, lawyer, writer, cyclist.
Others describe themselves in terms of relationships: mother, father, daughter, husband, pet owner.
People might refer to their belief systems, political party, or favorite sports team: Christian, Buddhist, Democrat, Socialist, Cowboys fan. (Yes, I just lumped politics and sports in with religion. Not a coincidence.)
Wikipedia's definition of identity opens this way:
Identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality traits, appearance, and/or expressions that characterize a person or group
That short sentence covers a lot of ground, but the article has this footnote:
Jary and Jary (1991) define identity as 'a sense of self that develops as the child differentiates from parents and the family, and takes a place in society.'
That "sense of self" is how we respond to "Who are you?" The way we see ourselves governs how we interact with the rest of the world. It's how we "fit in." So, it's no surprise that identity is a recurring theme in our literature.
In the early Witcher stories, Geralt of Rivia insists he has no feelings. "Witchers can't experience emotions" he says, because of the harrowing process that makes a boy a witcher. Of course, he's usually asserting this just before or after sparing a monster's life, mourning one he had to kill, or mooning over Yennefer of Vengerberg.
For example, here's an argument between Geralt and Yennefer.
"...and the fact that I’m saddened… the fact that I know I’m losing you … is cellular memory. The atavistic remnants of feelings in a mutant purged of emotion—"
"I can’t stand it when you talk like that!"" she exploded. "I can’t bear it when you use that word. Don’t ever use it again in my presence. Never!"
"Does it change the fact? After all, I am a mutant."
(Yes, the English translations are awkward in the early tales.)
It's this contradiction at the center of Geralt's character that makes the stories about more than a guy who's good at killing.
Alas, this struggle for identity is missing from the TV adaptation. A few snippets of dialogue in the first season hinted at it, but the show is far too busy confusing us with entangled timelines, a poorly balanced ensemble cast, and "shocking" reveals to get to what the books were about.
I could go on about Netflix's show. Maybe I will, after season three is over and I've probably given up on the show altogether. (Hell, the lead actor already did.)
Stories that get these internal struggles right draw us in. They speak to us and help us work out our place in the world.
Harry Potter is an orphan that finds himself thrown into a magical world where he, and his classmates, struggle to find their place in it.
Frodo Baggins doesn't believe he's a hero. He doubts he has the strength to bring the ring to Mordor, but eventually finds the courage and selflessness he needs.
Peter Parker is a bullied misfit who discovers a sense of responsibility soon after he gains superpowers.
Clark Kent is a farm boy from Kansas. Or is he the last son of Krypton?
Coming of age stories are some of the more common tales that deal with identity, because that's when we first struggle with identity. But, I think they continue to appeal to us as adults because many of us never do quite figure it out.
The Tiger and the Wolf, the first book in Adrian Tchaikovsky's Echoes of the Fall series, is about a young girl struggling to find her place in the world. But she's far from the only person who needs to find their identity. Counting character moments in the book is like tallying gunshot wounds in a Clint Eastwood film. It's a coming of age story that's bound to be appealing to anyone.
J. K. Rowling did such a masterful job of depicting the struggles of adolescents that her books became a spiritual lifeline to many queer kids, despite the book's lack of (out) queer characters. And then, because real life is always stranger than fiction, Rowling seems bound and determined to betray that part of her fandom on a nearly daily basis.
Not every story is about a character searching for their identity, but a character that never changes has limited appeal. They're boring and predictable. Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Kung Fu's Kwai Chang Caine, the Superman of the 1950s series, often end up supporting characters in stories about someone else because without change, there's no story.
Corporate franchises struggle with this. If the characters change, they might stop appealing to some fans. But when they don't, they become stale. James Bond outlived the Cold War. Peter Parker had to graduate high school.
Are you the same person you were in 2020? Last June? Yesterday?
Your answer may come down to your define yourself. If your response centers on your career and you're still at it, then you might say you are. But what happens when that's over?
The same thing applies to relationships, which is why there are many compelling stories about parents, spouses and lovers that struggle to move on when a relationship ends.
What stories about identity have touched you? What are some that you found hard to relate to?
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Eric Goebelbecker
Trick of the Tale LLC
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Bergenfield, NJ 07621-9998