An individual’s identity is constructed and evolved from a variety of experiences such, moments of clarification, realisation or discovery of self and others, which excels them to change the perception of one’s identity. Jane Yolen’s novel Briar Rose illustrates Becca’s pursuit to discover her grandmother Gemma’s true identity. Throughout this process Becca’s identity is evolved by clarification and disclosure of Gemma’s past, leading Becca to not only discover Gemma’s identity but also of her own. Similarly, in the film Whale Rider directed by Niki Caro, the protagonist Koro realises the potentials of his granddaughter Paikea, advancing him to change his perception of Paikea and himself. These texts exemplify how identities are shaped by individual’s experiences and essentially through personal connections, resulting in to gain new perceptions, knowledge and insights of themselves and the world. …show more content…
In the novel, Becca’s childhood innocence is preserved; within Gemma’s retelling of the terrifying holocaust through the fairytale ‘Sleeping Beauty’. This is evident when Gemma tells her fairy-tale story to Becca “A mist. A great mist. It covered the entire kingdom. And everyone in it - the good people and the not so good, the young people and the not-so-young, and even Briar Rose's mother and father fell asleep”. Jane Yolen had used the technique of allegory, where a story is metaphorically told through another story. The use of the allegory of the fairy-tale makes the subject easier for the audience to link it to Gemma’s past and conceive Becca’s as well as Gemma’s identity. Throughout the emotional experience; Becca’s identity is evolved by clarification and disclosure to Gemma’s past, leading Becca to gain new recognition and understanding of Gemma and thusly