Mandrake Dolls

Identity is a theme expressed frequently in the various parts of the book. Not only that but the way the book Mandragora portrays the theme of identity is the most pivotal part of the novel and this essay.
The first way the novel portrays the theme of identity is through the mandrake dolls. The evil, possessed dolls, go on an evil tear and through that takes the victims identity. The fact is that if your identity is taken, you can’t control yourself anymore. This is seen when Tam Dubh takes control of Adam various times throughout the novel. In contrast the other possessed mandrake dolls take the identity of Mike and Richard, telling them do their dirty deeds for them. They then convince Mike and Richard to commit suicide, showing that if your identity is taken, you are basically hopeless and useless.
The second example of how identity is portrayed is when Adam and Catriona start seeing each other. They learn a lot not only about each other but also about themselves, and their own identity. Adam learns things about Catriona like her personalities and the fact that she once had the guts to go skinny-dipping. He also learns more about himself, through the fact that he is now more confident as a person and also more informed about himself.
The final thing that portrays the theme of identity is the way Adam and Catriona goes and looks back on a diary written a hundred year ago, and translates it to something they can understand. They learn and understand more their own unique identity. It is Adam who, after seeing the visions set up by Tam Dubh, realises how similar Margaret and Catriona really are- in both appearance and personality. This is through looking at the diary and also through the spiritual help of Tam Dubh. Catriona finds out about her family tree from letters from the past and Adam Colquhoun’s Bible. Using these she also finds a deeper sense of identity in Adam’s family and her own. She and her mother Barbara are both quite shocked when they find out