Identity

=Identity=

Adolescence often struggle to find their identity. As they grow up they are faced with the challenge of finding out who they are. Adolescence try to express their identity using clothing and social groups. Cady, Peter Pan and Holden all struggle to find their identity.

Cady’s identity changes through the movie. This is demonstrated through her clothing. She initially comes to school dressed very conservative and simple. As she changes her social groups and the movie progresses she changes her clothes and wears more and more out going clothing. She changes from wearing gap jeans to a more stylish cut dress and from a long sleeved top to a more fitted shirt. Eventually here clothes are more fitted and revealed. This symbolises how Cady identifies herself as an adolescence. Similarly as she becomes a nicer person towards the end of the movie she goes back to wearing less revealing clothing. Cady uses her clothing as a form as identity through her adolescence.

Holden struggles to find himself in New York. He spends the first 2 days wandering around New York aimlessly. He does not know what to do with himself or where to go. He decides he cant go home and instead stays in a hotel. This demonstrates that Holden does not know who he is and decided to outcast himself. In chapter 14 Holden tries to convince a girl called Sally to go with him to Massachusetts and live there forever. She says no but Holden wasn’t joking when he asked. “I meant it when I asked her. That’s the terrible part. I swear to God I’m a madman”. This shows that Holden has had such a breakdown in Identity that he is ready to pick up and leave straight away. Holden can even reflect on it and admit it was a crazy idea.

In Peter Pan the Lost Boys struggle to find their identity in Never Never Land. The Lost boys are similar to Peter Pan in the sense that they are lost in the period of their lives called adolescence. They are followers of Peter Pan and do what he tells them. When the Children arrive from the city the eldest, Wendy, cares for all the Lost boys. The Lost boys respond positively by fighting less and being more hygienic. As the boys have more of a mother figure in their lives and have an identity they act in a more civilized manner. In the last paragraph of the book the Lost boys return to the city with the children and settle in well because they have found an identity. This shows that adolescence with an identity find the this time in their lives easier cope better with the transition to adulthood. Identity is often expressed by the use of clothing