# Identity and Betrayal in Seven Pillars of Wisdom

> Theme guide for Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T. E. Lawrence.

Lawrence grapples with his own divided loyalties, his role as a British officer deceiving the Arabs about broken promises (Sykes-Picot), and the manufactured nature of Arab national identity, leading to profound personal guilt and a sense of fraud.

## Where it surfaces

- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/i): Lawrence grapples with his loss of English self and inability to fully adopt Arab identity, feeling like a hollow imitation.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/iv): Arabs clung to their language as a 'fatherland' while Turkish rule suppressed their racial and political identity; the Young Turks' initial promises of brotherhood were betrayed.
- [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/v): Feisal's dual role as a Turkish officer and Arab nationalist leader, and the betrayal of his Syrian friends who are hanged by Jemal.
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/vi): The 'Intrusive' group's mission to build a new people in the East is contrasted with the betrayal of Arab hopes by British policy, exemplified by the broken negotiations with Aziz el Masri.
- [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xiv): Debate over Arab leaders executed for treason; tension between loyalty to nation and foreign alliances.
- [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xx): Lawrence adopts Arab dress to blend in, and the Juheina's apparent defection raises questions of loyalty.
- [LXXX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/lxxx): The assault shatters Lawrence's sense of self and integrity, leading to a profound identity crisis and a feeling of betrayal by his own body and will.
- [LXXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/lxxxi): Abd el Kader's betrayal and Lawrence's own sense of alienation as an 'alien' advocating for national liberty highlight themes of divided loyalties and selfhood.
- [LXXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/lxxxiii): Lawrence reflects on the antithesis between flesh and spirit, and the voluntary servitude of his bodyguard, where loyalty to a cause or person transcends personal identity.
- [CI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/ci): Feisal's separate negotiations with Turkey and the fear of British betrayal highlight the fragile alliances and shifting loyalties.
- [CIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/ciii): Lawrence deeply questions his own identity, feeling like an actor whose reputation is built on fraud. He examines the betrayal of his own ideals and the dissonance between his public persona and private self.
- [CVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/cvi): King Hussein's proclamation betrays Feisal and the northern officers, highlighting conflicting loyalties and the struggle for identity within the Arab movement.
- [List of Illustrations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/chapters/list-of-illustrations): Lawrence's desire to have portraits drawn as an 'appeal to a higher court' against his own descriptions touches on the theme of identity and the potential for misrepresentation.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/themes/identity_and_betrayal
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/seven_pillars_of_wisdom_se/themes