in an interview with "vogue", meyer stated that body image was a major aspect of her novel. she noted that she is "very critical" of her body, but not others'. in "the host", she tried to convey "what a gift it is to just have a body, and really love it". this is something most humans would take for granted before being captured, and something of which melanie is all-too aware once she loses control of her body. other themes meyer explored were the mother/child bond, the need to change our lives for the ones we love or because our community expects of us something other than what we want, and not fitting in. in other interviews, various themes were noted including the value of the soul and faith in a world that has been destroyed, tolerance, forgiveness and understanding. identity issues are also frequently mentioned, as wanderer notes whether other characters differentiate between her personality and melanie's identity as they interact with her.