The Theme Of Identity In The Cellist Of Sarajevo

society. In both the Cellist of Sarajevo and Life is Beautiful characters continue their faith in the

The struggle to find one's identity is a universal theme that is especially prevalent in Chaim Potok's novel, My Name Is Asher Lev. As an Orthodox Jew, Asher's gift for art is looked upon very unfavorably. Despite the disapproval of his community and father and the pain his art causes those around him, he pursues his passion and must find a way to reconcile the conflict between his religious identity and his individual identity.

"We cannot despair of humanity, since we ourselves are human beings" (BookRags, 1) - Albert Einstein. This quote is particularly true, since it is very important to maintain what identifies us as human beings, especially during horrific times, such as war. The Cellist of Sarajevo, a novel by Steven Galloway, delivers an interesting story by using internal conflict of the three characters, to demonstrate a theme, of the great possibilities of regaining humanity with the belief of a better life and a brighter future, thus revealing that finding hope is crucial for the survival of humanity.

In view of a memoir, The Bosnia List, there are various emotions that children will experience during wars and events of persecution in their homeland. Kenan demonstrates that he was anxious when he is wandering through the streets when he is required to leave his apartment to get necessary items for his family. While the war is going on, he encounters a couple new individuals that come to his family’s apartment. Kenan mentions that he feels safe, but also worried because these individuals could do anything and get away with it. He begins to lose faith in his people because all of the people he trusted before the war turned against him and his family. His family was no longer secured in their homeland they are afraid and hope for the best.

One’s humanity is not measured by what they have but what they are willing to do. If an individual shows that they will be overpowered by an opposing threat, they have already lost. In Steven Galloway’s novel The Cellist of Sarajevo, the attacking Serbians have surrounded Sarajevo and have taken away the safety of the civilians. In order to protect themselves and their fellow civilians, one must be willing to sacrifice their own safety to help others who are struggling in these times of war. By fighting back, the civilians of Sarajevo show that the men on the hills cannot control their lives. These people will not intimidate them. As a result of the main

In literature, it is common for authors to apply different stylistic techniques in order to assist in providing the readers with a message. This idea is prominent in Steven Galloway’s The Cellist of Sarajevo, a novel which follows the story of three characters in the war-torn city of Sarajevo. Despite the fact that the characters never meet, they are each unified by a cellist and the song he plays for twenty-two days to honour the citizens who lost their lives while waiting in line for bread. Throughout the book, a recurring idea is that of hope for the future of Sarajevo, which is shown through the contrast of symbols from the beginning of the novel to the end, the cellist himself, and the adagio that the cellist plays. It is evident from the meaning created through objects and people that Galloway is able to use symbolism to enhance the idea that a city which once was destroyed can still be repaired.

As George R.R. Martin once stated, “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you” (“Quotes About Identity”, 2017). In the short stories, David Goes to the Reserve, and Compatriots, characters struggle with their sense of identity. Some know who they are, but lack the knowledge of who they want to be; while others do not perceive any identity, but know they can be so much more. To find their true selves, the characters have to confront and overcome the obstacles that hindered them in the past.

The majority of characters from war-time novels often resort to substance abuse as a way to cope with the horrors of war. In Joseph Boyden's Three Day Road, the young Cree soldier, Xavier, uses excessive amounts of morphine to forget the bloodshed he witnessed on the battlefield. Similarly, Mrs. Ross, the mother of the young Canadian soldier Robert from The Wars becomes an alcoholic as a way to deal with the departure of her son to war. However, in Steven Galloway's “The Cellist of Sarajevo,” the primary characters, although affected by war, employ a different strategy to come to terms with and survive the war, and to regain their moral values and identity. In this novel, music is employed as a tool of healing and rebirth. Specifically, Arrow, Kenan, and Dragan use the music of the anonymous cellist to reclaim their sense of humanity, compassion, and self-identity and move forward despite the ongoing war, much like the mythical Phoenix rises from the ashes in rebirth.

Despite being a very diverse literature genre in terms of influence and inspiration, North American literature encompasses many works that share some very common thematic elements. Though there are several themes shared, one in particular can be found in most any work – the importance of identity. Particularly in some selected pieces yet to be named, identity is a very important element, not only because it is a necessity for a main character in any work of literature, but because these works express ideas about identity as being very individualistic – as opposed to being a mere result of cultural surroundings. Zora Neal Hurtson’s Their

In The Cellist of Sarajevo Steven Galloway explains life after the city of Sarajevo is besieged. It is told from four different perspectives to show how different people were affected by the same event. Throughout the novel Galloway uses rhetorical devices such as syntax and imagery to create mood. Galloway uses both short and long syntax to create a calm and peaceful mood when Dragon is imagining he is escaping his horrifying city and meeting his family. Short syntax such as “[b]ut he’s free” and “[t]hey will be happy” makes the sentence more powerful.

Run and hide or stay and fight. The fight or flight response is the first thing the human brain activates when there are threats to its survival. Steven Galloway’s novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo, puts the main characters in many situations that require quick decisions to ensure survival. This instantaneous response is central to the one of the characters in the novel named Dragan. He is an elderly man whose family has escaped Sarajevo while he stays behind. Though he has the support of his sister, he depends almost entirely on himself for survival. The choices he makes to ensure he lives reflect the response he has to the effects of the war. At the beginning, Dragan isolates himself from everyone including friends because he is afraid of losing them. He is afraid to cross an intersection and waits for hours out of fear of death by the snipers of the men on the hills. A transition begins in his mind when he witnesses the consequences every choice carries when his friend Emina is shot by a sniper. By the end of the novel he decides that he will live in the battle-torn Sarajevo however he chooses and not be intimidated by the men on the hills. Dragan uses the power of choice to hide and be fearful, although by the end of the novel, he chooses to be brave and have hope for the return of the Sarajevo of his memories..

The Cellist Of Sarajevo The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway forced the ideas of identity and humanity to completely consume my thoughts. Keeping your wits about you in the midst of a hornets nest with no way out would be hardly possible. Sacrificing your life to be who you truly are and want to be seems slightly irrational. These scenarios may seem deranged, but when accompanied by compelling circumstances this is the most sane, sensible thinking that could be accomplished. To keep yourself level headed and keep achieving rational thinking while sitting in the seat of war with a seat belt that will not unbuckle, may seem almost impossible.

The Power of Music: The Cellist of Sarajevo “Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can't” (Johnny Depp). The novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo, starts with a description of Albinoni’s Adagio and the rejuvenating effects that it has on the cellist, the Adagios he plays bring hope to him. One day, the cellist witnesses a shell kill 22 people who were waiting in line to buy bread, he vows to play Albinoni’s Adagio for 22 days. This novel is about three people who are trying to survive in the war-torn city of Sarajevo. The power of music is shown through the emotional, hopeful and rejuvenating effects that are demonstrated through the actions of the characters in the novel.

Previously, the protagonist Arrow was an ordinary college student before the war started, and shows significant development as she becomes an infamous sniper defending Sarajevo during the Civil War. Before the war, she identified with her real name, Alisa, and not with her subsequent persona Arrow, who was “the woman you knew who hated nobody”(13). Her choice to identify with another name signifies how much she changes as a person: her beliefs, actions, morals and personality that no longer mirror who Alisa was, and how she has assumed another identity. In contrast, Alisa used to be someone who enjoyed spending time with her friends, going for a drive or spending time in the park, but now, as someone who shoots soldiers and cold bloodedly

Our autobiographical narratives also support the construction of identity, by using cultural models of self narration as well as drawing on our own experiences, who we associate with, when and where, all have an impact on how we tell our stories (Hewitt, 2007). This serves in understanding how identities are fluid and are always changing from situation to situation, an aspect which anyone from the psychosocial school of thought