Identity and Assumptions Theme Analysis

After spending months emailing about the difficulties of coming out as gay with a boy who goes by the pseudonym Blue, Simon is shocked to discover that, contrary to his assumptions, Blue (who is really Bram) is black. Realizing his own narrowmindedness, Simon asks himself why it is that people assume that someone is straight and white until they discover evidence to the contrary. With this question, Simon begins to give voice to the immense gap between the way that society assumes people should be and the very different, nuanced ways that people actually live, identify themselves, and move through the world. By tackling these big ideas, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda illustrates that identity is something personal and individual, not something that can be painted in broad strokes by someone else.

Simon primarily takes issue with the fact that people overwhelmingly assume their peers are straight until someone chooses to come out and make it clear that this assumption is false. He believes that this contributes to the sheer amount of anxiety that he and Blue, who are both closeted at the beginning of the novel, feel about the prospect of sharing their true identities with their friends and families. Essentially, Simon observes that if one deviates from the norm—which society defines as straight and white—one has to work much harder to make a place for themselves in the world and make their identity known. Because of this, Simon and Blue discuss how different the world would be if everyone had to come out, regardless of their sexuality. In one of his emails, Blue writes, "it is definitely annoying that straight (and white, for that matter) is the default, and that the only people who don't have to think about their identity are the ones who don't fit that mold. Straight people really should have to come out, and the more awkward it is, the better." By suggesting that everyone should have to come out and announce this aspect their identity to the world, Simon and Blue suggest that one way to cultivate acceptance and authenticity is to do away with the idea of what constitutes "normal" or "default" in the first place.

Though Simon begins the novel thinking of the idea of coming out only in terms of one's sexuality, he comes to realize over the course of the school year that he, his friends, and his family members must constantly "come out" and announce their unexpected changes in identity to the world over and over again. Within his family, Simon attributes this to his parents' difficulties adapting to the fact that their children are very quickly becoming adults and moving away from childhood, a process that by necessity involves discovering and embracing new facets of their identity. Simon notices this specifically in the case of his younger sister, Nora, whom he characterizes at the beginning of the school year as quiet, bookish, and not particularly social. This makes it difficult for him to understand what's going on when Nora starts spending more time than usual outside the house for reasons unknown to Simon and the rest of the family. Nora then stages her own dramatic "coming out" at the school talent show, where she performs as the lead guitarist in a rock band. Simon learns that Nora has been at band practice every day after school, and has even been secretly working with Simon's friend Nick for months to learn guitar. Simon is especially shocked to see how comfortable his shy, studious little sister looks onstage. Simon decides that Nora is "coming out" in finally making this interest known to her family, as she defines her identity that goes against the grain of people's assumptions about her.

Even Simon is forced to reckon with the fact that he also wrongly assumes things about people's identities, particularly as he attempts to figure out who Blue is. It takes Simon a few minutes to realize that Bram is Blue at the carnival, but Simon realizes that this is only because it never crossed his mind that Blue might be black. Simon was able to make this assumption in the first place because he and Blue communicated anonymously over email, meaning that major parts of Blue's identity—including what he looked like—were up to Simon's imagination. Simon's thoughtless assumption that Blue was white brings to the forefront that all people, even individuals who stand outside of what society considers to be normal, are susceptible to making assumptions about other people. Simon ultimately catches himself in making this assumption and vows to do better in the future. This moment suggests that awareness is the only way to diminish the power of these assumptions of "normalcy." In other words, people must simply make a point to catch themselves when they make unfair assumptions about others and to instead make it safe for others to be their most authentic selves.