Time Travel and Losing Yourself

Reading Edward Bellamy’s "Looking Backward" has been a very different experience from Twain’s "A Connecticut Yankee". The one thing that has struck me in this text is the difference in narration. This text depends on dialogue almost exclusively, which is an interesting switch from the first person view we saw in the last book. There is a specific quote said from Mr. West that has really struck me. He says that, since he has come into the future, he has had, “…moments when my personal identity seems an open question” (101). This struck me as strange when comparing it to the last book. Let me explain…

The idea of losing identity is one that is pretty apparent in Bellamy’s book. This begs a question, then: Does time travel lead to a loss of self? Within Bellamy’s book, this looks like a true fact. However, in Twain’s book, I saw Hank as finding his identity in his time travel. Before he went back in time, he was a normal man with a pretty ordinary existence. When put back in time, though, he makes he most of his situation and remolds the time period. In doing so he finds his identity: a man who, when in power, fights for the people. In this case, time travel does not cause one to lose identity; rather, it causes one to find it, as Hank made himself into the man he always wanted to be by traveling in time.

Now, looking at Bellamy’s text, I want to see if I can try to portray Dr. West has having a similar experience to Hank. Instead of going backwards, he goes into the future, so he does not have the knowledge of future events like Hank does. Part of the reason that Hank can find his identity is because he somewhat dominates society. He knows how things are supposed to be run, and therefore makes the world like he sees fit. West, though, does not have this luxury. He does not know what to expect. In this way, it is hard for him to find his identity, as he has no advantage over anybody in the time period, and cannot establish his dominance.

In a different sense, however, West does find his identity: through his infatuation with Edith Leete. This love for her somewhat creates a self perception for him: he realizes what he wants, and in doing so becomes rather introspective. While he does not gain identity like Hank, he gains something that I consider a way of discovering self: love.

The identities that are found in the respective novels are very different. Hank finds himself through power, while, in a way, West finds his through love. Whether you want to consider these identities on an equal level is up to you. Personally, I think that the finding of love is not quite as instrumental as the sort of self that Hank finds. Hank’s is one that creates who he is, while West’s is more of a “convenience”, in the sense that he finds a girl who is good for him at the time and helps him get through a difficult time. The question still remains, though: Does time travel cause one to lose the self. In Hank’s case, he had no real sense of self before, and was able to create himself in a way that made him the most powerful man in the world. West loses his sense of self, as he comes into a world that is unfamiliar, but finds a new self through his love of Edith. My conclusion on the issue, then, is that going back in time does not cause one to lose self; it makes you gain a new perspective of self. Going to the future, then, does cause one to lose identity, as being unfamiliar to the times and not having knowledge of history can make one not know what to do. While love does create a little identity, it is not enough to make up for what is lost. West lost everything, and does not know what to make of his life. Hank had nothing to lose, and created a new self. Time travel, therefore, can either make one have identity or lose it, depending on which direction one travels. Let me know what you all think and if you agree!