Themes and message

Identity

Ben Okri’s short story “A Wrinkle in the Realm” explores the theme of identity. The man has to change himself in order to be accepted by other members of society. 

He tries tohide the part of his identity that causes people avoid him by wearing a mask. He quickly notices that hiding himself behind a mask seems to solve his problem: “Every day that week, his walk home had confirmed the efficacy of the masks. On the first day, women who normally would have fled across the street when they saw him now only stared at him as he went past”. This leads to people treating him differently. Women stop avoiding him on the street or public transport, and even ask him out. 

The title, “a wrinkle in the realm” also makes the reader think about how the main character is in c...