The problem of identity in Olga Tokarczuk's novel "Flights"

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of identity in the novel "Flights" by the Polish writer, Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk. The relevance of the topic can be explained by the active attention of society to the concept of identity and its search in the XXI century. The object of study is the novel "Flights" and the subject is the problem of identity, which is presented in this novel. Analysis, induction, deduction, descriptive and contextual methods were used during the work. The novelty of the article lies in considering aspects of the novel that have not been studied before and in proposing a new look at the features of such a concept as identity. The article analyzes different interpretations of this term in Ukrainian, English and Polish, draws attention to its semantic transformation; some fragments of the "Flights", identity features of several heroes of this novel and their understanding of the corresponding term have been investigated; the key role of awareness of one's own existence as a component of identity has been established; the role of language in the formation of self-consciousness has been analyzed, as well as the influence of self-identification on the existence of an individual; the possibility of the existence of identity not only for homo sapiens, but also for other living beings, as well as non-beings, has been shown; the role of objects in the categorization of individuals has been established. The research has shown that language (with any form of expression – both oral and written) is an important factor in the formation of both external and internal identity. At the same time, the presence of language is not a necessary condition for the emergence of identity, as this concept can be interpreted very broadly and attributed not only to subjects but also to objects. The identification process may be accompanied by the use of additional items that facilitate categorization. Changes in self-identification can cause radical changes in the existence and become the impetus for his transition into non-existence. The work has considerable prospects. In particular we plan to analyze other fragments of the novel "Flights" in terms of identity theory, as well as to build a scheme for the formation of self-awareness.