đź“– Unlocking Texts: Exploring Identity
🧬 Who am I? Who do you want me to be?
When writers explore identity, they ask: How do people see themselves — and how are they seen by others? This theme often intersects with race, gender, class, culture, language, and power, making it a central concept in literary analysis.
🔍 Why Identity Matters in Exams
Across boards, questions on character, theme, or societal critique often link back to identity:
âś… IGCSE/Edexcel: “How does the writer present the character’s struggle with identity?”
✅ A-Level: “Explore how identity is shaped by internal and external forces.”
✅ IB DP (Paper 1, IO, HL Essay): “How is identity constructed or challenged in the text?”
✅ IB MYP: “How do choices in language and form reveal the identity of individuals or groups?”
🔎 IDENTITY MAPPING: What to Look For
🧠Personal Identity vs. Social Identity
- Ask: Is the character shaping their identity or having it shaped for them?
- Tensions arise when the internal self clashes with external expectations.
đź“Ś Example:
In Purple Hibiscus, Kambili’s personal identity is stifled by her father’s rigid, religious expectations — she only begins to rediscover her voice through Aunty Ifeoma’s more liberal household.
đź’ˇ Close Reading Tip: Look for metaphors, silences, or physical descriptions that hint at inner conflict.
🧍‍♂️ Individual vs. Group Identity
- Examine how culture, family, gender, class or race define the character.
- Watch for pressure to conform or rejection of norms.
đź“Ś Example:
In An Inspector Calls, Sheila’s identity shifts from a passive daughter to a morally awakened individual — breaking from her family’s rigid class-based views.
✅ A-Level Trick: Identity shifts show growth, conflict, or critique — perfect for tracing character arcs.
🪞 Mirror Moments: Self-Reflection & Rebellion
- Characters may reflect on or rebel against their prescribed identity.
- Spot key dialogues, symbolic moments, or rituals.
đź“Ś Example (IB DP):
In Persepolis, Marji’s wearing of the veil becomes a symbol of imposed identity — but her punk posters and Western outfits signal internal rebellion.
💬 Quote Cue: “I didn’t know what I was anymore.” → This signals crisis of identity.
🎠Language as Identity
- Look at dialect, accent, code-switching, silence or name changes.
- These reveal belonging, alienation, or resistance.
đź“Ś Example (IGCSE):
In Half-Caste by John Agard, the speaker reclaims the word “half-caste,” using dialect to assert pride in mixed identity.
🧠Exam Tip: Highlight how language marks inclusion or exclusion from a group.
🌀 Identity and Power
- Ask: Who controls the narrative?
Identity is often bound to power dynamics — parents over children, colonisers over natives, state over individuals.
đź“Ś Example (Edexcel):
In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo’s identity is tied to traditional masculinity and Igbo values — but colonial influence and his fear of weakness lead to a tragic unraveling.
🧠Model Sentence:
“The writer explores how identity becomes a battleground between personal pride and cultural transition.”
🧠Sample Analytical Frame
In The Crucible, John Proctor’s identity is gradually reconstructed through guilt, confession, and sacrifice. At first, his name is stained by hidden sin, but by the end, his refusal to sign a false confession — “Because it is my name!” — restores a personal integrity more important than life. Here, identity is not fixed, but earned.
🔑 High-Level Phrases for Identity Essays
- “The character negotiates a tension between personal belief and social identity…”
- “Language and silence are both tools in constructing identity…”
- “Identity is framed by the competing influences of family, culture, and self-perception…”
- “The writer critiques imposed identities by…”
- “The narrative arc reflects a crisis and reconstruction of identity…”