Identity Quotes in The Host

It's difficult for Wanderer to separate her feelings, if she has any, from the feelings of her host body. It makes us wonder what parts of emotion are ruled by the mind and which parts are ruled by the body's physiology. (Ask an adolescent boy.)

Humans take for granted that we only have one body. It's ours and no one else's. Wanda's species, however, takes different bodies. There's a short acclimation period after Wanda wakes up in her new form, and she has to consciously remind herself that the body she's inhabiting is hers. She has to make it her possession. (She could probably take some tips from Jared.)

Names are closely tied to identity in the world of The Host. No wonder Wanda's identity is so fragile, she doesn't have a name.

When a soul takes possession of a human body, they tend to pick and choose what parts of the human's personality to take on. Sometimes they even take on the person's name. Wanda has a similar experience with Melanie that this soul did with Kevin. She pretty much acts like Melanie in every way, stopping short at calling herself "Melanie."

The Comforter's statement makes you wonder how much of her behavior is truly hers and how much is simply mimicked from the humans. Hey, we can't be around our friends without picking up their mannerisms, either, so we sympathize.

Their thoughts and feelings are so intertwined, Wanda thinks she's the one who wants Jared even though she has no reason to love him. He's punched her, disparaged her, tried to kill her, etc. (Well, do you even need more reasons?) It's Melanie who wants Jared, not Wanda. She's reclaiming control of her body when Jared is present. And she probably has to fight him for control, too.

Wanda is talking about how she could be put into a man's body and still function the same. This raises hundreds of interesting questions. Would Ian still be attracted to her if she was in a man's body? (We doubt it.) And would Wanda, who is technically female, be attracted to a human female, like Heidi perhaps, if she was in a man's body?

Don't hold back, Jeb. But Wanda has to deal with this, because her species is, by nature, parasitic. Although, judging by the state the Earth is in when her species arrives—murders, rapes, environmental disasters—we think her parasitic species will fit right in with the humans.

By the end of the novel, Wanda identifies much more with the humans than with her own species. She even wants to die as a human and be given a human burial. Sweet. And morbid.

Wanda goes from being perceived as athletic and strong (and an enemy) to being small, weak, and frail (and a friend). It affects how she sees herself, too. No longer able to move and operate the way she did inside Melanie's body, she feels even more like an insecure child.