If one could revisit any moment in their life and change the decision they made, would their identity be any different? Could their identity, the values and beliefs they hold, be altered or erased by one drastic event? One novel, which explores the development of identity is Steven Galloway’s The Cellist of Sarajevo. Galloway explores identity through the three main characters of the novel; Alisa, Kenan, and Dragan, conveying a clear lesson about hope through the experiences of the three. Though the conflicts from the siege cause them all to deviate from their personalities before the siege, they all eventually revert to their original personalities, regaining their identities.
During the Siege of Sarajevo, Alisa chooses to fight back against the men on the hills through joining the army. She goes by the name Arrow,
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This is a dramatic change since “[she is] Arrow because [she hates] them, [and] the women [she was] hated nobody” (Galloway 13). Arrow does not hesitate to “pull the trigger”, a feat that Alisa would struggle with (Galloway 12). However, even as Arrow is killing enemies on the battlefield, traces of Alisa’s personality remain. Arrow prefers to “keep her hands clean”, refusing to “kill just because [people] say [she] must” (Galloway 71). Despite the fact that Alisa’s values continue to guide Arrow, ensuring she does not lose her humanity, she still kills enemy soldiers without regret. However, upon hearing the cellist play, her mindset changes. The cellist’s music, a symbol for hope, causes her to start doubting the choices she is making as Arrow, and she wonders if things can be different. As she progresses through the story, Arrow’s thoughts begin to align more and more with Alisa’s original values and beliefs. When she sees an enemy sniper enjoy the music of the cellist, she realizes “she does not want to kill this man” (Galloway 153). This is because, she no longer sees the sniper as a faceless, nameless killer,