Bob Slocum constantly questions who he is, and he wonders if parts of his personality are truly his own.
One reason for that is that he's always imitating other people. He borrowed his handwriting from Tom back at the auto insurance claims agency, and his limp he borrowed from Andy Kagle at the office. He feels he begins to speak like people he has been conversing with for a while, but he also fears picking up on others' negative traits, like ticks and stutters.
Slocum doesn't feel himself in his own home, sometimes not even recognizing the clothes in his own closet. At times, even his mind plays tricks on him, either altering memories or deleting them altogether. Perhaps the only place Slocum truly feels like himself is in his office, where he can shut himself off from all of the people and events that make up Something Happened.
So here's a question: how do you create an identity in a world as meaningless as the one in this novel? Slocum certainly never does it, but is it even possible?
Questions About Identity
- Is identity constructed or innate? Can it be both?
- Which people and events have had the most significant impact on Slocum's identity?
- What role does the death of his son play on the construction of Slocum's identity?
- Which other characters struggle with their identities in the book?
Chew on This
Slocum is the product of each and every one of his experiences, as well as of every person he has ever met.
Though many things have happened to Slocum and he has encountered numerous types of people, it's not possible to pinpoint one in particular that has shaped his identity.