Spoiler alert: A lot of people in Tales of the Madman Underground have identity crises. Duh, of course they do—you found it in the young-adult section. For Karl and his friends, though, the typical adolescent period of identity crisis-dom is more extreme than their other fictional counterparts; along with just trying to survive at home, they're also going through the typical existential struggle of most high schoolers, asking who they are, what they want from life, and how they can change to become more of what the world wants and less of what they really are.
What's sad is that in Karl's world, it's not just the kids going through this—his mother is stuck in the middle of her own search for identity, too. A mom and a teenage son having identity problems under the same roof (with about 30 cats for company)? Now, that really stinks.
Questions About Identity
- Why does Karl want to be normal so badly? What is at stake for him with this decision?
- Why does Beth's husband's death thrust her into a full-on identity meltdown? Why does she think making herself into a different person will solve her problems?
- Could Karl have succeeded with Operation Be Normal even if he wanted to? Why or why not?
- Imagine that Karl lived in the present day instead of 1973. Make a playlist of modern-day songs you think he would identify with.
Chew on This
Every major character, from the Madmen to the adults to the school bullies, struggle with trying to figure out who they are amid the confusion of life in Lightsburg.
Karl's desire to be normal has more to do with getting over his father's death and less about changing his image at school.