Parallels on Identity between Ancient Worldviews and the Modern Age

A fierce fighter storms through a battlefield, her glossy blonde hair streaming behind her back as her pink stilettos thunder across the blood-soaked ground. Meanwhile, in a dream house far away, Ken #24 parties with his gal pals. While it might seem absurd to juxtapose Odysseus, the famous warrior from Homer’s Odyssey, with Barbie, the similarities between these figures—and the societies that birthed them—are striking. The truth is, ideas and events from ancient texts are still relevant today, and the parallels from the two worlds highlights the cyclical nature of human behavior.

Cultural Icons and Their Influence on Identity

One such parallel is how pieces of media, such as the Barbie movie and the Iliad, impacted their respective society’s identities. When the Barbie movie came out, a cultural phenomenon was unleashed. People began creating and joining fashion trends, using the movie’s catchphrases in their daily lives, and sparking more conversations on the feminist ideas Barbie explored. These trends, first originating online, started to create noticeable shifts in people’s thoughts, actions, and personalities. Many found inspiration in the movie’s message of self-definition, as women across the globe felt seen in their shared struggles against the patriarchy as shown by Barbie. When they saw the barriers and societal expectations they are faced with daily on the big screen, many women experienced first-time epiphanies about feminism. They also wanted to take Barbie’s lead on not only understanding how the patriarchy has affected her, but rise above it too. Men also found relatability in Ken’s journey of self-discovery, since it challenged the constraints of traditional masculinity. The Barbie movie became a celebration of authenticity and the freedom to define one’s identity on one’s own terms, which left very real impacts on its viewers long after they left the theaters.

While fostering personal changes because of media and fictional characters might sound superficial to some, it was the exact same process that occurred in ancient Greece. Greeks were inspired by drama and literature just as much as people are today with social media, but for the Greeks, the Iliad and Odyssey weren’t just stories; they were moral compasses and societal blueprints. The Homeric archetypes set an example to citizens and represented values and virtues for the Greek society to emulate.

Achilles played the archetype of the brave hero by encapsulating the virtue of glory. When he said, "Either, if I stay here and fight beside the city of the Trojans, my return home is gone, but my glory shall be everlasting; but if I return home to the beloved land of my fathers, the excellence of my glory is gone, but there will be a long life left for me, and my end in death will not come to me quickly”, he means that he prioritizes striving for glory rather than a guaranteed, safe life (Iliad, Book 9, lines 410–416). Achilles sets an example for Greek men to pursue glory over an uneventful life and achieve an immortal legacy.

Odysseus also played the archetype of the brave hero, but over the course to his journey back home, he came to pursue honor over glory. When Odysseus is held captive at Calypso’s island and is offered immortality and eternal luxury, even after achieving great glory by battling in Troy and conquering the Cyclops, he still yearns to go home and honor his wife, son, and kingdom. Odysseus’ “heart aches for the day [he returns] to [his] home. If some god batters [him] far out on the wine-dark sea, [he] will endure it. A man who has been through bitter experiences and traveled far enjoys even his sufferings after a time.” (Odyssey, Book 5, lines 219–223). This shows how his virtues shift from glory, to honor, setting an example for Greek men to learn from his loyalty and perseverance.

Penelope embodied the virtues of loyalty and wit, values that, at the time, were the cultural benchmarks for women and the archetype of the faithful wife. She waited for her husband for 10 years and avoided the suitors that clamored for her by claiming to choose her new husband after she finished weaving a funeral shroud for her father-in-law, but unraveling it every night in hopes that Odysseus would come back to her. Wit was one of the few virtues that women could prove their worth through, and was further demonstrated when she tests Odysseus to confirm his identity after his return by asking him to “move the sturdy bedstead out of our bridal chamber—that room the master built with his own hands” knowing that only the true Odysseus would know that the bed was carved into the olive tree, and would not move (Odyssey, Book 23, lines 190–192).

Though separated by thousands of years, the Iliad and Barbie demonstrate how characters project their values, experiences, and aspirations onto society. Just as the Greeks sought to emulate the virtues of their literary heroes, modern audiences have found in Barbie a symbol of empowerment and individuality. Both works illustrates a universal truth: societies are inspired and guided by fictional characters because they want to emulate some kind of aspect from the character’s life into theirs.

The Struggle for Identity Across Time

With identity being such a personal and intricate subject to explore, the quest for identity is another parallel that is evident in works across millennia. The Bhagavad Gita reflects this turmoil through the character Arjuna, who becomes confused with his true purpose when he must choose between his family and his role as a prince. Arjuna, however, eventually overcomes this struggle through Krishna's guidance and teachings about dharma, who says, “Considering your own duty as a warrior, you should not waver. Indeed, for a warrior, there is no better engagement than fighting for righteousness” (Bhagavad Gita 2.31). Ultimately, Arjuna understands that his cosmic duties as a warrior comes before his worldly relationships as a cousin and nephew.

Modern teens still struggle with finding themselves, echoing Arjuna’s predicament. In modern times, dharma is no longer tied to rigid social roles, as it was in ancient India, but instead reflects the fluid and complex nature of contemporary identity. Today’s individuals must navigate a fragmented world of school, careers, relationships, and personal aspirations to find their own sense of purpose. Furthermore, the challenge is only heightened with unrestricted access to social media that this generation has today. Social media exacerbates feelings of inadequacy, with curated images and carefully constructed personas setting unattainable standards for beauty, success, and lifestyle. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok present an endless stream of highlight reels, creating a comparison culture where teens often feel as though their lives don’t measure up. These platforms, while offering opportunities for connection and self-expression, often amplify the internal struggle to define who they are, pulling teenagers further into a cycle of comparison and insecurity. The desire to fit into specific aesthetic categories or adhere to viral trends can also overshadow genuine self-expression, making it harder to explore their true passions and values. At the same time, the overwhelming influx of opinions and lifestyles can leave teenagers feeling paralyzed by choice, unsure of which path to follow. Nowadays, the pressure to curate an authentic self in a hyper-connected, image-conscious world, can feel overwhelming during an already daunting task of discovering one’s identity.

Yet, the Bhagavad Gita offers solace: as it's comforting to know that the problems and frustration that arise when navigating our identities were shared by people who left this earth many years ago. The struggle and confusion of self-discovery are not unique to our era. Arjuna’s journey reminds us that grappling with uncertainty is a fundamental part of being human.

Mapping Identity: Ancient Theories and Modern Tests

A third parallel can be drawn between the ideas and tools societies have created as a framework to understand themselves. The Socratic theory of the tripartite soul states the soul, and in extension a person’s identity, consists of three distinct parts: rational, spirited, and appetitive. Each part corresponds to a fundamental aspect of human nature and plays a crucial role in guiding decisions and actions. The rational part governs reason, logic, and wisdom. It seeks truth and understanding, representing the intellectual component of the human experience. The spirited part drives ambition, courage, and honor. It motivates individuals to pursue goals, defend principles, and maintain self-respect. Lastly, the appetitive part fuels desires, physical needs, and pleasures, representing the instinctual and material aspects of existence.

This framework extends to Plato’s vision of an ideal society in The Republic. Socrates explained that hypothetically, there would be teachers looking for these specific traits in children to raise them as the role their dominating part dictated. The rational children would be educated into becoming philosophers-kings, the spirited children would be trained into becoming guardians or warriors, and the pleasure driven children would become part of the working class as farmers and artisans. Everyone would have the job that aligned with their identity, with no need for the long and exhausting process of self-discovery. Socrates explains that this division ensures each part playing a distinct yet complementary role in maintaining balance and ensuring the well-being of the whole. He states, “One man should practice one thing only, the thing to which his nature was best adapted. … More things will be produced, and the work will be better done and more easily, when every man is set free from all other occupations” (Republic, 370b–c). This structured approach eliminates the need for self-discovery by assigning roles based on inherent traits, promoting efficiency and unity.

This is similar to modern day personality tests, examples including the Meyers-Briggs tests, the Enneagram test, and silly quizzes like the Harry Potter House Test. These assessments all give a way for people to quickly distinguish themselves within groups or categories, giving them the peace and solace most labels provide. Furthermore, results from tests or ideas like these can lead individuals down the right path or at least get a head start into the long journey of discovering one’s self.

The appeal of these tools lies in their accessibility. In a world inundated with choices and identities, they provide clarity and structure. Like Socrates’ theory of the tripartite soul, personality tests distill the complexity of human nature into digestible categories, helping individuals chart a course toward personal growth. While the results of both systems can be dismissed as reductive, their results can be helpful in certain conditions and the fact still stands that these tools were created to help answer humanity’s burning questions regarding themselves, and resemble each other remarkably.

Timeless Reflections on Identity

From Achilles to Barbie, from Arjuna to personality tests, it's clear to see just how similar our worlds are, despite the 5,000 year age gap. Though the contexts have changed, the questions remain the same: “Who am I? What is my purpose? How do I fit into the world around me?” By examining the parallels between ancient and modern media, it’s clear to see that the effects on identity from media, the quest for self-discovery, and the tools used to understand one’s self still remain a continuity in humanity.

I used ChatGPT, Midjourney and Runway to create this essay and the associated videos and images in December 2024.