Of the two main characters in The History of Love, one is an old man primarily looking back and the other is a teenage girl looking boldly forward. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that it's the old man of all people who's the most unsure about his identity, even stopping to spin around as he walks through the snow, checking to make sure he left footprints. Of course, there are questions about identity beyond verifying that one does, in fact, exist (though that's a good place to start, yes?). The book considers questions of self-conception and self-creation, along with weighty issues like racial identity, religious identity, and the immigrant experience.
Questions About Identity
- What's unique about Bird having been named after something he did, rather than after someone else?
- Is Leo's desire to be noticed by others worth the sacrifice of his dignity in several cases?
- What does Alma's attendance at the drawing class tell us about how much she matures during the novel, and about her identity?
- Consider the Singers' disagreement regarding Alma's ethnicity. What does each person's position tell us about how he or she defines identity?