Body and Identity
The central character in the series of books—known only as A—of which this is the third exists without a body or gender. A must use the bodies of human beings as temporary homes but in doing so other people are not aware that the person they know is no longer inhabiting that body. Nevertheless, other people will treat A’s host as though body and soul still match. The underlying metaphor of this aspect of the narrative is everybody—literally every single body—is host to an inner being that is not just one single predictable entity that always manifests the same behavior. This connection between fiction and reality raises questions on the theme of what is true identify of a person, their recognizable exterior or the unknown mysteries commingling inside them.
Gender and Racial Privilege
Even though A does not have a gender or a race, the bodies which are inhabited do. A adopts the behavior of gender expectations because the bodies can be either male or female as well as members of any racial identity. Because A is forced to constantly be swapping one body for another, certain aspect of the social construction of gender and race are eventually revealed to transcend individuality. Predominant among these revelations are those having to do with privilege. Interaction with other genders and races while the body A inhabits are also of gender and racial diversity leads to an understanding that privilege is predictably distributed. This theme is most explicitly directed early in the novel when A observes that “The young, handsome white guys are…the ones who are naturally given things, who find that gates swing open before they touch them.” This theme ties into that of body and identity since gender and race can only be identified—and misidentified—by the physical appearance of the exterior of a body.
Morality and Responsibility
A is not the only entity capable of jumping in and out of bodies. Certain rules and expectations are observed among this group of beings but not all of them choose to adhere to those expectations. Simmering beneath the narrative lurks a question being directed toward the reader. That question is basically asking if one had the power to do anything they wanted but escape all personal responsibilities would they create their own loose morality or cling to the stricter moral guidelines imposed by society. Those beings capable of occupying bodies have the nearly unlimited potential to do anything they want and behave in any way they desire while leaving the consequences of those acts and behaviors up to the real person inside those bodies. The temptation to give in to impulsivity and act without moral guardrails would be overwhelming and the book’s multiple characters are used to explore themes related to taking responsibility for one’s bad behavior and what makes a person behave morally even when there are no consequences for not making that choice.
