The poem “Song of Myself” touches upon the idea of self identity and the idea of individualism. In the second passage of the poem Whitman breathes in the fragrances and is in intoxicated by the scent, yet he knows that he should not let the scent get the best of him (II, line 1-4). These so-called “perfumes” that Whitman mentions can be interpreted as the people around him who possess different personalities and opinions. Although, he may agree and obtain some of the opinions and knowledge of others, Whitman strongly encourages and exerts himself to not let others influence or alter his perspective. He also encourages his readers to express and follow the idea of individualism. “You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me, you shall listen to all sides and filter them from yourself.” (II, line 38-40) While in the beginning sections of the poem, Whitman expresses this idea of self identity and individualism, towards the end of the poem he diverges into this idea of wanting to understand the universe. Although he wants to maintain the idea of self-expression, Whitman cannot help but question the unfathomable. “I wish I could translate the hints about the dead young men and women..All goes onward and outward, nothing collapses..”(VI, 30-31, 41-32)

Whitman’s “untranslatable self” speaks of how distinct and unique we are as individuals. Although we may all think alike and have similar thoughts and ideologies, we are also very different externally but also internally. The experiences and paths that we may experience are all different. It is our experiences and our actions that we explore upon that define who we are as an individual. We are unable to translate ourselves. We cannot simply define ourselves.