Perks Of Being A Wallflower Identity Analysis

Identity is the concept of how an individual or a community is perceived through influences and experiences socially, politically and culturally. A change in circumstances around a person can lead to questioning of identity and this has been manifested in Peter Goldsworthy’s ‘Maestro’ and Stephen Chbosky’s, ‘Perks of being a Wallflower’ with the use of two characters from each text. This idea has been demonstrated through language and film techniques to convey the point.

In Maestro, Eduard Keller, Paul’s piano instructor is identified as a titular maestro who isolates himself from everything that reminded him of his past. Keller experienced tragic events in his life that led to himself questioning his sense of identity. However, this changed

He is a talented pianist who describes his journey from childhood to adulthood through the novel. However, an experience that affected his self-perception was his relationship with Keller. Paul’s first impression of Keller was misleading. Towards the end of the novel, Paul stated, “You are my teacher…You’ve been like a father. Taught me everything I know. This quote indicates how Paul later developed affection for Keller. Therefore his relationship with his piano instructor was something he had

In the film, she was viewed as Charlie’s “favourite person in the world.” However, she had trouble herself growing up with past experiences which affected both her and Charlie’s life. In the past, she was affected by past events like abuse, drugs, and no one had loved her. Aunt Helen Tok advantage of Charlie and the love he has for her and molested her. In her past, she had been deeply affected by trauma which led to her questioning of her identity and how it has changed her