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  • Essay / Change of identity of the characters of "Mother Night"

    In today's society, almost anything is possible, which means that nothing is ever what it seems. Things are constantly changing, whether we agree with those changes or not. This idea is particularly notable among people in the modern world, who go through phases in life where they change who they have become and then truly discover who they were meant to be. In Kurt Vonnegut's Mother Night, several characters create various identities for various reasons. It is imperative to understand why characters pretend to be what they are not in order to understand how this can affect someone internally, and how remaining loyal to one's country or leaving an old life behind can lead to when a character disappears. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayHoward Campbell was the main character who had dueling identities. His intentions can be immediately questioned because he grew up in Germany and serving as an American spy never made sense because he was no longer familiar with American culture. This is supported when Frank Wirtanen, Campbell's "Blue Fairy", mistakes him for an Englishman because of the way he spoke. Campbell's change in identity challenged his way of life. Before becoming an American spy, Campbell lived a simple and happy life with his wife Helga. However, his dual identity challenged his beliefs because he had no political position. With war coming, Campbell would eventually have to choose a side. Wirtanen supports this by saying: “This war will not allow anyone to remain in peaceful commerce. » (Vonnegut 38). Whether he liked it or not, Campbell was ultimately going to be involved in the war because he was associated with the Nazis. As the book progresses, the line between American spy and German propagandist blurs. It became difficult to know which Campbell was genuine. In trying to leave behind the memories of the war (and his wife's disappearance), Campbell wanted to let go of what he had done in the past. It became such a central concern that it led to his imminent suicide. At the end of the book, Frank Wirtanen proved Campbell's innocence, but he wanted nothing to do with it. He said: “What froze me was the fact that I had absolutely no reason to move forward in any direction. What had gotten me through so many dead and useless years was curiosity. Even that hadn't happened. (Vonnegut 232) This demonstrates how Campbell was disgusted with himself and did not wish to continue living with the past that haunted him. As a result, he had no choice but to commit suicide so that he could live in peace with himself. Another character who had an alternate persona was Iona Potapov, aka George Kraft. Campbell became best friends with George Kraft because they were neighbors and shared their sorrows. Kraft led Campbell to believe that he had also lost his wife. Since Campbell was still grieving over his wife, Kraft was the most supportive company. Even though Kraft was a Russian agent, he grew to like Campbell and was willing to help him in any way possible, even if he ended up turning him over to the Russians. However, he was also learning to let go of certain things in his life because he was dedicated to fighting for the cause of war. When Campbell found out Kraft was an agent, he said, “'With a few choice words, you destroyed me. How poorer I am right now than I was the minute before.