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You wouldn't think that the Golem and the Jinni would have trouble with their identities in a book called The Golem and the Jinni. But they can't just walk about New York saying, "Hello, I'm a Jinni, a creature borne from the fires of the desert," or, "Hi, I'm a Golem, a creature made from clay who wants to serve you. Would you like fries with that?" Instead, these two creatures have to figure out what it means to be human in a city full of them. And the humans are trying to figure it out, too, since they're almost all immigrants, working to discover what it means to be American.
The Golem has an easier time pretending to be human because she can sense people's emotions—she knows what they want, and how to accommodate them.
The Jinni has a more difficult time being human because he has spent so many years feeling superior to people. To be human, to him, is a step down.