How Does Vic “Claim” His Own Identity?
At the start of the novel, Vic is very weak in how he lays claim to his identity. He takes the bullying and doesn’t quite know how to respond. He writes a blog in solitude and doesn’t talk about it much, as it offers him an escape from having to deal with many of his peers. He doesn’t seem to really talk to many of his peers and it seems intentionally that Chadha glossed over any friendships he had, as it doesn’t seem like he had any serious friendships. He kept to himself, his blog, and occasionally, his computer (Chadha 27).
Chadha uses symbolism to further convey his claim about identity. In the second chapter of the novel, Vic begins to take offence at the butterfly that has an uneven pattern on both of it’s wings. He “puzzled over the markings and the difference between the left and right forewings and hind wings” and it made him “uneasy” (Chadha 7). It’s interesting that Chadha chose to do this to Vic, as she could be making a variety of points about identity. However, considering the fact that Vic seems to be critical of himself, she’s most likely trying to point out that Vic is uncomfortable with this unbalance. In terms of his identity, the butterfly is a symbol that touches on the fact that he’s uncomfortable with his identity and struggles to grasp how to live his life when he feels as if he has very little sense of a “solid identity.” His father ascribes one sense of identity to him, his mother another, and those that surround him look at him differently for his choice of vocabulary and…show more content… She truly believes that in order to have a functioning society, we must respect the identities of others and not project onto them our own insecurities, biases, or