Duality

Duality is an important theme in the novel “How to Be Both” by Ali Smith. Duality is the idea that something can both be, and not be. It is the idea that something can represent more than one thing, and it is the idea that something is both what is appears to be, and what it truly is.

Duality in its most physical form is reflected in the construction of the novel. The novel is divided into two halves, each entitled “One” which make up the number two. Each half of the novel bears the story of either George or Francesco, and taken together, form a whole story and a whole novel. The novel is both the stories of George and Francesco, and it is one story altogether. It is both one novel, and it is not one novel. The novel itself is also split between...