The novel opens with George introducing himself and describing his morning routine in vivid detail. George writes about himself in the third person, referring to himself as “it” before realizing he is an individual, then a person, then a “he,” and then “George.” It is a daily process of self-realization. He looks at himself in the mirror and laments his age: 58. He makes himself up in an acceptable manner. After this, he refers to himself as “he” and notes that he “has become already more or less George—though still not the whole George they demand and are prepared to recognize” (3).

George makes a clear distinction between himself and the “it” that wakes in the morning. He first mentions Charlotte here, his friend whom he visits later in the day. He is suddenly taken aback by the memory of his lover, that “Jim is dead” (4). George compares the memory to a bad cramp that passes. He has complex thoughts about simple things, such as pondering the purpose of life and his place in the universe while killing ants in his kitchen. George reflects on how he used to be able to talk to

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