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Perspective of identity

Jamie Z 2025-04-22

Learning goal

Analyse Trent Dalton’s perspective of identity in Lola in the Mirror using the PCIAS structure.

Retrieval

  • What is an aesthetic feature?
    • An element used to create an emotional or sensory effect in the audience.
  • What is a stylistic device?
    • A structural choice in the text that shapes meaning for the audience.
  • Example of an aesthetic feature in LITM
    • Juxtaposition between light and dark imagery to heighten contrast in mood.
  • Example of a stylistic device in LITM
    • The artwork before each chapter functions as a recurring structural motif.

Paragraph question options

  • How does Lola’s identity change throughout the novel?
  • How does resilience shape Lola’s sense of self?
    • Identify a specific event or story showing resilience and strength
    • Explain how Lola views self in the past versus the future

Model evidence and analysis

“That right there is the sweetest thing anybody’s done to me. I wanted to crawl out of the hole and sprint all the way up to the bridge.” (p. 383)

  • Context: Hiding from Flo’s men with Esther “Inthehole” after the deaths of Brandon and Detective Topping.
  • AF/SD focus: First‑person narration reveals Lola’s interiority and intensifies emotion.
  • Interpretation: The diction “sweetest thing” foregrounds love and longing for Danny amid danger, showing identity shaped by relationships.
  • Effect on readers: Invites empathy and positions readers to see resilience as love‑driven.

Paragraph structure: PCIAS

  • P — Point: Clearly state the argument of the paragraph.
  • C — Context (plot): Identify where in the text your example occurs.
  • I — Interpretation: Link to the concept of identity and CASA criteria.
  • A — Analyse: Explain how the aesthetic features or stylistic devices construct meaning and position readers.
  • S — Synthesise: Blend interpretation and analysis to offer an insightful conclusion that advances the central idea.

Sample paragraph (for “resilience shapes identity”)

It takes resilience to discover who we are. In Lola in the Mirror, Dalton shows that resilience shapes identity through the sustaining power of loved ones. After Brandon and Detective Topping die, Lola hides with Esther “Inthehole” while threatened by Flo. Through first‑person narration, Lola confesses, “That right there is the sweetest thing anybody’s done to me. I wanted to crawl out of the hole and sprint all the way up to the bridge” (p. 383). The tender diction “sweetest thing” amid crisis exposes how love for Danny steadies Lola’s sense of self. By filtering danger through intimate voice, Dalton positions readers to see resilience not as stoic denial but as endurance powered by connection. As a result, Lola’s identity strengthens through hardship as relationships deepen, revealing resilience as a relational force.