In today's society, almost anything is possible, and this means that nothing is ever as it seems. Things are constantly changing, whether we agree with those changes or not. This idea is especially evident in people of the modern world, who go through phases of life in which they change who they have become and then truly discover who they were meant to be. In Kurt Vonnegut's Mother Night, there are several characters who create various identities for themselves for various reasons. It is crucial to understand why characters pretend to be something they are not to understand how this can affect someone internally, and how becoming fixated on staying true to one's country or leaving an old life behind can lead to a character's death. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Howard Campbell was the main character with dueling identities. His intentions can be immediately questioned because he grew up in Germany and serving as an American spy never made sense because he was no longer familiar with American culture. This is supported when Campbell's "Blue Fairy", Frank Wirtanen, confuses him as being English due to the way he speaks. Campbell's change in identity challenged his way of life. Before becoming an American spy, Campbell lived a simple and happy life with his wife Helga. However, his dual identity challenged his beliefs because he had no political position. As war came, Campbell would eventually have to choose a side. Wirtanen supports this by saying, “'This war will not allow anyone to remain in peaceful trade.'” (Vonnegut 38). Whether he wanted to accept it or not, Campbell would eventually get involved in the war because he associated with the Nazis. As the book progresses, the line between American spy and German propagandist becomes increasingly blurred. It became difficult to know which Campbell was authentic. In an effort to put the memories of the war (and his wife's disappearance) behind him, Campbell wanted to let go of what he had done in the past. It became such a central focus that it led to his imminent suicide. At the end of the book, Frank Wirtanen proved Campbell's innocence, but wanted nothing to do with it. He said: “What froze me was the fact that I had absolutely no reason to move in any direction. What had gotten me through so many dead and useless years was curiosity. That hadn't vanished either. (Vonnegut 232) This shows how Campbell was disgusted with himself and did not wish to continue living with the past that haunted him. As a result, he had no choice but to commit suicide so he could live at peace with himself. Iona Potapov, aka George Kraft, was another character who had an alternate persona. Campbell became George Kraft's best friend because they were close and shared their sorrows. Kraft made Campbell believe he had lost his wife too. Since Campbell was still grieving for his wife, Kraft was favorable company. Although Kraft was a Russian agent, he grew to like Campbell and was willing to assist him by any means possible, even if he would eventually turn him over to the Russians. However, he was also learning to let go of some things in his life as he dedicated himself to fighting for the cause of the war. When Campbell discovered that Kraft was an agent he said: “'With a few well-chosen words you have swept me away. How much poorer am I this moment than I was a minute before!'” (Vonnegut 197) Campbell was genuinely hurt when he found out that Kraft was going to betray him and did not deny it when Campbell told him.