Themes Within the Novel

As Daniel Quinn's book has progressed, it has become evident that Ishmael's thesis, of which all of his meetings with the narrator are based around, is essentially that while the Takers (humans) see their population to be far more superior than those of the Leavers, they are truly held in their own kind of captivity. However, instead of being kept in places like zoos or menageries, we are captive to the way our society has come to operate. He points out that that we do this unknowingly because we are "captives of a civilizational system that more or less compels you to go on destroying the world in order to live.” Using storytelling to emphasize the most prevalent theme in the story, which is captivity considering it is the subject that Ishmael states that he is "most qualified to teach," he claims that the mythology that has circulated throughout our culture has given us deceiving perceptions of ourselves and the world. These perceptions have lead us to believe that we are the dominant species and that, in essence, the world was made to prioritize our existence.

Another common theme is the concept of identity, a notion that Ishmael first became aware of when he was previously named Goliath. After being renamed Ishmael by Sokolow, Ishmael came to understand the significance of an identity, as well as the potential flaws that lie underneath one. For example, the Takers, who are born into a deluding sense of supremacy due to the ideologies practiced by their culture, conform to the enactment of their roles in a story. Ishmael asserts that the Takers "have this impression because there is enormous pressure on [them] to take a place in the story [their] culture is enacting in the world", and he thinks this pressure has caused the Takers to become enslaved to "Mother Culture" - a term that was compiled to describe the explanations given to members in a culture to help them comprehend their place in the world. She is the reason that humans are impelled to feel as if they as a group are entitled to domination over all other species, as she has begins influencing them from birth to think this way. By stressing major themes such as captivity, identity, and conformity, Ishmael shows the narrator how incoherent it is that, as our population has become increasingly colossal, we are constantly bringing the world closer to its demise. If we could change and become self aware of this impending destruction, and even give thought to the possibility of other species developing self-awareness, he thinks that the problem could be lessened substantially.