Concealed Identity

     "...but, Rasselas says, "my birth has given me at least one advantage over others, by enabling me to determine for myself." Few remarks in romance explain more clearly the essential point about the device of concealed original identity" (Frye 107).

     To anyone who has actually had their identity concealed from them, this literary device is not as grand or easily accepted. It just does not work as smoothly in the real world; not that it is meant to, it just seems a bit too much to accept sometimes. I was adopted by my grandparents, my birth record sealed, and everyone sworn to secrecy. This did not lead to a grand reveal which helped me; it led to heartbreak, anger, confusion and a grand mess. I will spare my dear readers the details, but it took a time before I could trust anyone and led me to become very skeptical. This actually has served me well later, but boy was it a trial at the time. Especially since I was probably around five or six when it was revealed to me by someone who was quite intoxicated. Anyway, it worked out well in the end; I like being skeptical, I have learned to accept the truth and reasons behind it, and learned to trust my well meaning family.

    My story is obviously not one of the romantic tradition. There was never a wealthy father (or any other kind) who showed up and helped to pave the way for my dreams. Not that I would want him to; I would rather get it myself thank you very much. I have learned to accept the concealed identity in literature as it is often intended: a lesson on being who you are inside and having that carry you through even if you don't show it to others. This, I believe, is what Rasselas was describing. After the truth was revealed to me, I concealed my true self from many for years. I suppose I still do, but it is now a source of strength. As I grow older and as my body continues to fail, I know inside who I am. In any situation I can call upon who I am no matter what people think when they judge me on the outside. This makes me quite happy.

    The other type of concealed identity, such as we note in Daphnis and Chloe is far different. This type, in which the rich father does show up, helps the story move and evolve. It is not uncommon to see similar situations in fairy tales and other romance. This seems to move the story up a level from the real world to a paradise which Frye points out romance tends to do. We move between levels. If not between these levels, then perhaps the characters were residing on a lower or hellish level of misery and when their true identity is revealed they get to finally come up to the world we know.

   Another important aspect of concealed identity is an aspect of escape which I discussed in my last blog. The "what if I were really a princess" thinking of little girls does not stop when people grow up. The movie Brewster's Millions tells a story in which a man finds out he had a rich uncle who left him a fortune. Mr Deeds is very similar. The concealed identity device allows us to explore and imagine what we could do if we were a different person. It is a grand adventure.