Reconstructing Identity: Existential Reflections on Choice and Authenticity in Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library

Abstract

Whether through allegory, symbolism, or narrative structure, literature offers a forum for philosophical inquiry, challenging assumptions, expanding worldviews, and fostering empathy and understanding. The noteworthy events of the 20^th century such as the Jews Holocaust, the Spanish flu epidemic, World Wars, the Publication of Darwin’s Origin of Species etc., instilled a question concerning the purpose of man’s existence. This led to many literary works pertaining to the very concept of Existentialism. The Midnight Library written by Matt Haig paints a philosophical picture of the influence and impact of choices in an individual's life. The paper is explored in an existentialist perspective that underscores the inherent anguish and responsibility that accompany human existence including the anguish of confronting the inherent uncertainty, fragility and ambiguity of existence within the individuals, and the act of feeling responsible for one's choices and their consequences.