The Significance Of Family In Matt Haig's The Humans

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The theme of family is profound in Matt Haig’s novel “The Humans”, and readers learn that the familial relationships described in the novel, have fundamental significance based around the Vonnadorian narrator, Gulliver, Isobel, and his Vonnadorian family. The personal connections the narrator has built with Isobel develop his understanding of love, his fatherly relationship with Gulliver helps him understand the emotion of compassion, and finally, his relationship with Ari develops his understanding of companionship and love for friendship. All of this help develop his human nature and love for humankind. The narrator’s connection to Andrew Martin’s family plays an important role in developing his human nature and love for humankind. In the novel, as …show more content…

Before forming this connection to Isobel, and learning the importance of love, he only has one mission, and he did not want any human getting in the way. His original motives were shown when he says, “[i] didn’t want to connect with her in any way. It would not serve my mission well if any kind of sympathy, or even empathy towards her were to form” (Haig 48). At this point in the novel, the Vonnadorian has only one key thought when it comes to Isobel Martin, To destroy her. He cannot see past his instructions to destroy all living proof of the Riemann hypothesis. As the novel progresses the narrator develops a true understanding of love, and finally realizes his feelings, as he continues to spend more time with Isobel. When the narrator cheats on Isobel he says, “[but] I realized lying, though essential to keep someone in love with you, actually wasn’t what my love demanded. It demanded truth. So I said, in the simplest words I could find, ‘I don’t know. But I don’t love her. I love you.’ ” (Haig 236). In this passage the narrator is showing regret for the actions he has taken, and even though he could have lied to her, and kept her in love with him, he told the truth

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