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THE FORMATION OF IDENTITY, The identity of a character, meaning their…

- - - - Absence of Craziness in The Left Hand of Darkness
        •There is almost no conversation regarding mental health or 'craziness' among the populations of Gethen and Orgoreyn. This may be because they do not operate under capitalism as we know it.
        •Societal punishment is given in other ways, through banishment, imprisonment, etc.
- - - - Rinehart
        •The character of Rinehart showcases how the true nature of identity is not built from either self or society, but a combination of both. Neither self nor society can be escaped.
        •"Still, could he be all of them: Rine the runner and Rine the gambler and Rine the bribery and Rine the lover and Rinehart the Reverend? Could he himself be both rind and heart?" (Ellison 498).
      - W.E.B Du Bois: 'The Souls of Black Folk'
        •Describes the idea of "double-consciousness: experienced by black people. It entails seeing oneself through the eyes of others, in other words, experiencing one's own mind through how others interpret one's body.
    - - The Play
        •The relationship of the mind and body are skewed in the viewing of a play. The experience consists of the bodies of the actors and the mind of the audience. Oedipa's inner identical shift is caused by the movement of bodies that are not hers.
    - - Wilhelm as an Actor
        •Similar to the idea of the play in The Crying of Lot 49.
        •Wilhelm's inner dialogue and wants are much different than his outer actions.
        •Because of his role as an actor, he is influencing others in the same way someone in a play would influence the audience.
- - - - Handarra
        •This religion is more similar to Eastern religions, mainly Taoism. It focuses on balance, and the importance of ignorance
        •Characters who practice this have certain parts of their identities shaped by their aversion to knowledge.
        •The Tao religion upon which this is based views life as a sort of river, and following the flow of this river as the most enlightening path to life.
        
        Water as the Christian God in Seize the Day
        •"There sons and fathers are themselves, and a glass of water Is only an ornament; it makes a hoop of brightness on the cloth; it is an angel's mouth." (Bellow 80).
        •The connection between water in different religions is interesting to note, because it demonstrates how the religious symbol of water, in different religious contexts, shapes identities in different ways.
        •We can compare Estraven's "go with the flow" attitude to Wilhelm's troubles, which are caused by leaving his winnings to chance in the stock market. There are different relationships with fate across different religions.
      - Yomeshta
        •This religion is much more similar to Western monotheistic religions, such as Christianity. This religion focuses on the power of a single being, Meshe.
    - - Postsecularism
        •The belief that religion will resurge even after the death of organized religion as we know it.
        
        Oedipa's Beliefs
        •Oedipa, in a way, behaves according to her own religion.
        •Religion can be defined as living life according to a certain depiction and interpretation of different symbols. This is exactly what Oedipa does.
        •These beliefs exist apart from organized religion, but still share characteristics with it. Perhaps it is human nature to interpret symbols in order to make sense of the world.
  - - - Lolita
      - Invisible Man
        •Absurdism points to the existence of a chaotic universe in which we must create our own meaning and reality.
        •The narrator's main struggle throughout the book is that with his purpose and what constitutes truth. At the end, he settles with creating his own truth.
        •The narrator cannot make sense of Todd Clifton's purpose, because he had no inherent purpose.