The Madman · Theme
The Multiplicity of Self
How The Madman develops The Multiplicity of Self.
The self is depicted as composed of multiple, often conflicting selves, as in 'The Seven Selves' where seven distinct selves (painful, joyous, love-ridden, hateful, thinking, working, and do-nothing) converse and rebel within the madman.
Where it surfaces
- The Seven Selves
The chapter directly personifies the fragmented selves of the madman, each with distinct roles and grievances, exploring the internal multiplicity of identity.
- The Other Language
The narrator's early self speaks a language from another world, but over time he forgets it and adopts the identity others project onto him, illustrating the fragmentation and loss of original self.
- The Pomegranate
The many seeds each voice a different aspect of identity and future, reflecting the fragmented self.
- On the Steps of the Temple
The woman's contrasting halves reflect a fragmented or multiple self.
- Said a Blade of Grass
The leaf becomes the grass, yet retains its former perspective, revealing the multiplicity within a single being.