Identity

The theme of identity runs throughout The Third Policeman. The narrator lacks an identity and his lack of a name is indicative of his lack of identity. His very soul seems to be something separate from him, so who is he? What is he made of? Is he even responsible for his actions? The narrator seems passive instead of active, lured into murder by Divney and by his obsession with de Selby instead of being responsible for his own decisions. Mathers, in a similar way, gives up his identity by following a formula for avoiding sin instead of making decisions for himself. Choices and decisions make up the sum of your life, and if you fail to make your own choices, you lose your identity.

The strange union of people and bicycles show how easily people can lose their identities. People and bicycles rub off on each other...