The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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    In The Little Prince, the pilot's personality is masked by years spent in the adult world. It is the same world that squandered his creativity and imagination at a young age. However much he tried to hide his true identity, the spark inside him never burned out. His encounter with the little prince made him realize the things that are really important in life. His child-type personality was reaffirmed. The little prince taught him that the things that matter are invisible to the eyes. They can only be seen by the heart. In this book the author shows us that true identities never change. The pilot also saw his identity in the little prince.  The little prince was able to see the elephant in the baobob which nobody else had seen.  He was full of imagination and innocence, just like the pilot had once been.  This was why they were able to form such a special relationship; the pilot saw himself in the little prince.  The little prince was able to revive the true identity of the pilot and his true talents. 

The Odyssey by Homer

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    In this book, the identities of many characters are hidden. Athena disguises herself as Mentor when she accompanies Telemachus on his journey to find his father. She does this so that she can lead Telemachus on the right path without his awareness of the divine intervention. When Odysseus returns to Ithaca, Athena disguises him as a beggar so that he can see what the suitors have done without being recognized. She knows that if they find out that he has returned, they will change their wicked ways, and Odysseus with never know of their injustices. She wanted him to witness the atrocities that the suitors have committed, so that he would become angry and them. She wants him to seek revenge on the suitors so that when he kills them, he does not feel any regret.




Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

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    Siddhartha is a young Brahmin.  He studied what his family had studied for years, but he is not content.  Neither is his best friend, Govinda.  Still young, Siddhartha and Govinda join the Samanas who reject pleasure and live as beggars in the woods.  Siddhartha had stood up against his father to do so.  While with the Samanas, Siddhartha learns to reject his identity.  He rejects the Self, but his true identity always returns to him.  The ultimate goal is to achieve peace and unite with the Atman in spirit.  During this time, the Samanas hear about a Buddha who preaches how to achieve peace. The two friends leave the Samanas to see the Buddha.  Govinda decides to become one of the Buddha's disciples, and he creates his own life independent from Siddhartha.  Siddhartha is proud that Govinda creates his own identity, and he continues on, leaving Govinda behind.  Siddhartha fears that even though he would try to lose his Self, it would still grow underneath the surface.  Siddhartha is wary of teachers and teachings because he believes that one cannot learn who one is.  One has to discover one's identity.  Siddhartha also questions when one stops being a child and starts being an adult.  There is no fine line, and our identities evolve over time.  Siddhartha discovers that his Self is the Atman and not the body.  The thoughts which one thinks are not the self, either.  Siddhartha has to discover who he is, find peace, and unite with the Atman.  Next, Siddhartha goes to the town and meets Kamala, a courtesan.  He spends time with her and works for a merchant.  During this time, Siddhartha learns that past experiences leave a lasting impression on one's identity.  Siddhartha and Kamala discuss how one needs to be different and have individuality.  While living in the town, Siddhartha's identity changed again.  The people of the time, doing business, drinking, and gambling began to influence his identity.  Siddhartha began to participate in these activities with interest and began to lose himself.  Once this stage of life is over, Siddhartha decides to leave Kamala and the town.  Siddhartha walks to the river, and right before drowning himself, remembers the Om and stops himself.  He sees himself in the river, recognizing the young Samana, Brahmin, and Govinda's friend.  During this time of self-reflection, Siddhartha falls asleep.  He awakes to find Govinda near him, watching over him in his sleep so that no harm comes his way.  Govinda cannot recognize Siddhartha, but Siddhartha can recognize Govinda.  Govinda is blinded by the teachings of the Buddha, and he therefore does not recognize his friend's identity.  Siddhartha, however, sees the young Govinda in the old Govinda, and after talking to Govinda, reveals his true identity.  After Siddhartha realizes his connection with the river and how it can speak to him, he asks the ferryman to teach him how to be a ferryman.  The ferryman, Vasudeva, experiences the same connection with the river, and the two live together, sharing the job.  The two know that time does not exist; all selves exist at the same time, conflicting with the quantitative identity theory (philosophy).  The river, like Siddhartha and all people, flows endlessly, regardless of the concept of time.  People do not realize this, but the river helps Siddhartha learn this new fact of life.  When the Buddha is dying, many people want to cross the river to see him one last time.  Among these people are Kamala and her son, the one she had with Siddhartha, but he never saw his son.  Kamala is bitten by a snake, and Vasudeva takes her in to try to save her.  She and Siddhartha discuss the boy, and Kamala dies in their hut.  The boy and Siddhartha weep, but over time, the boy just grows to resent his father's patience and personality.  Siddhartha still loves the boy, and in doing so, he loses some of his individual identity and becomes like the ordinary people.  After the boy runs away, Siddhartha goes after him, but the boy's true identity remains in the town.  Siddhartha goes home, and Vasudeva, as always, dissuades him from trying again.  Siddhartha does more self-reflection and realizes he did a similar thing to his own father.  He goes after the boy, but then he goes home again.  Vasudeva helps Siddhartha do some more self-reflection on his life through the river, and Siddhartha is able to discover the unity of the world.  Vasudeva, knowing Siddhartha has just achieved peace, leaves Siddhartha to unite with the Atman.  Govinda, meanwhile, had heard of a wise ferryman, and he now comes to see who this is.  He talks with the ferryman, but he does not recognize Siddhartha, again.  Before Govinda leaves Siddhartha again, Siddhartha tells him some of what he has learned, especially how wisdom cannot be communicated.  Siddhartha has spent his whole life on self-reflection.  He has to go through all of the experiences to discover his true identity and true purpose in the world. 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

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In this book, Huck fakes his death in an attempt to escape the captivity of his father, who kidnapped him to take his money. In his adventure, he creates multiple false identities in an effort to hide his real name. If anyone found out his real identity, they would know that he staged his own death. Huck also meets two men along the way, who say that they are the king of France and the Duke of Bridgewater, in England. These two con men scheme innocent people to take their money. Mark Twain neglected to give them names. They were heartless individuals that didn't deserve respectable identities. By keeping their names a mystery, Twain stops us from having compassion for them because we only know them by the names that they made up to get more respect.

Note: All works cited is in outside literature.