Introduction
The theme of identity is central in Virginia Woolf’s novel “Orlando.” The author introduces the protagonist as a 16-year-old boy living during Elizabeth’s reign. However, at the end of the story, Orlando is a 36-year-old woman. It means that Orlando experienced a radical transformation, but preserved their personality.
Discussion
The author says, “Orlando remained precisely as he had been. The change of sex, though it altered their future, did nothing whatever to alter their identity.” Woolf shows that gender and its change do not impact the essence of a person, the core. Woolf manages to explore this theme better by introducing third-person narration. In numerous passages, she uses this approach, as it helps to analyze the situation from another perspective. The readers do not see the world through the prism of Orlando’s worldview, but they acquire the chance to remain neutral and analyze the story independently. Moreover, the third-person narration helps to avoid confusion and explain the hero’s feelings, which is vital regarding the theme of the story and its enhanced understanding.
In such a way, the theme of identity is central in the novel “Orlando” by Virginia Woolf. The protagonist goes through a radial alteration; however, inside Orlando remains unchanged. Both as a man and a woman, the hero loves nature, poetry, and woman: “She herself was a woman, it was still a woman she loved.” It means that social changes, physical transformation, or context cannot alter the person’s core and identity.
Conclusion
Using the third-person narration, Woolf shows perfectly how Orlando’s gender alters, but the protagonist preserves the inner core and preferences. This approach helps to look at the story from another perspective, avoid confusion, and create a personal opinion vital for understanding the central message.