Leviathan: Personal Identity vs. Predetermined Destiny

In the book Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, Deryn Sharp, one of the two main characters, is a girl who leaves her life behind to masquerades as a boy and joins the English air force. Alek, the other main character, begins the book as the son of an archduke who will not inherit his father’s title due to his mother’s common blood. His world is turned upside down when his father is killed. He is taken away to Switzerland and then discovers that the his lack of title, the only thing that defined him, is actually inaccurate and that he is the heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire These characters are very different but are both controlled by extreme aspects of their lives.

I think the main theme of this book is about personal identity verses a predetermined destiny. Deryn leaves the life expected of her, the life of a girl, behind. Alek is obsessed with his political destiny. They both change though the book as Deryn begins to have feelings for Alek, and Alek starts to develop a personality, outside of politics when he helps the stranded crew of the Leviathan, Deryn’s ship.

            Neither character needs to completely shun their destinies or their identities. Deryn can be a girl and a pilot. The same goes for Alek. He can be a ruler and have be his own person outside of politics. This is something that by the end of the book the characters were beginning to realize. (It’s a series.) Deryn starts the book being defined by who she is. She doesn’t care that she is a girl. Alek enters the book in the opposite situation. His life is defined by his rank, or lack of rank. Both characters need to find a middle ground where they can accept who they are, while hold onto what they are.

Finding out who we are is important. This doesn’t mean we need to throw out what we are. We should be able to embrace both. Choosing one or the other is like trying to live using only one half of the body. While it is possible, to truly prosper, we need both.