Alif the Unseen

“‘Metaphors are dangerous. Calling something by a false name changes it, and metaphor is just a fancy way of calling something by a false name.’” 

This line, spoken by Dina, introduces the duality of names having power and also no power at all. Hiding behind a false name is dangerous throughout the story, as seen by the trouble Alif’s handle causes him. Belief in a true name gives the name power to become identity, as Alif finds his way back to being Mohammad.

“He had spent so much time cloaked behind his screen name, a mere letter of the alphabet, that he no longer thought of himself as anything but an alif—a straight line, a wall. His given name fell flat in his ears now.” 

From the beginning of the book to almost the end, Alif is the only name the main character goes by. He hides both behind his computer screen and within himself and dissociates from his given name. By doing so, Alif chooses to be unseen, even amid the seen world.

“Perhaps somewhere deep in the mind was a sort of linguistic DNA, roped helixes of symbols that belonged to no one else. For days Alif wrote nothing—no code, no e-mail—and instead wondered how much of the soul resided in the fingertips. He was faced with the possibility that every word he typed spoke his name, no matter what other superficial information it might contain. Perhaps it was impossible to become someone else, no matter what avatar or handle one hid behind.” 

This is the first instance of Alif encountering the idea that his chosen name is not, and never can be, who he is. He doesn’t yet realize hiding is a choice. His journey toward regaining himself and becoming seen once more starts here. These lines also introduce the important idea of identity being the same in the seen and unseen worlds.