Futility · Theme
Identity and Belonging
How Futility develops Identity and Belonging.
The narrator's mixed heritage and rootlessness, along with Fanny Ivanovna's German accent and the family's shifting allegiances, highlight the theme of not fitting in—culturally, nationally, or within one's own family.
Where it surfaces
- I
The narrator's retrospective mood and the closing in of Russian life highlight a struggle with identity and a sense of displacement.
- I
The narrator, an Anglo-Russian in British uniform, navigates between the revolutionary crowds and the diplomatic elite, highlighting his ambiguous position.
- VI
Eisenstein's desire to become a British subject and change his name to Ironstone, and Baron Wunderhausen's wish to renounce Russian nationality, reflect fractured identities amid the chaos.
- IX
Baron Wunderhausen's false identity and the cadet's refusal to remove his shoulder-straps reflect struggles with personal and political identity amid revolutionary change.
- Chapter XI
Kniaz's sudden patriotic speech and the characters' shifting loyalties underscore the crisis of national identity during the revolution.
- I
The narrator's mixed English-Russian heritage and his sense of displacement are highlighted, as well as his alienation from Oxford society.
- V
The narrator's exclusion from the 'three brothers' and his role as the odd one out highlight his struggle for belonging.