We_Never_Really_Leave_the_Past_Behind_Us._to_What_Extent_Does_Maestro_Prove_This_to_True_

We never really leave the past behind us. To what extent does Maestro prove this to true' Peter Goldsworthy eccentric novel Maestro explores how the past cannot be left behind and forgotten and how it affects a live in either a negative way or a positive way. The two main protagonist being Herr Keller, who is a fine, yet talented pianist and Paul Crabbe an undisputed arrogant teenager. Teaching Paul how to play the piano, Keller begins by hiding his emotional side due to the loss of his family, and revealing nothing to Paul. The tragic death of his wife Matilda, who was a singer and a specialist in Wagner and his son Eric influences and drives Keller to a point where he promises himself to never play piano again. Maestro, a prominent piano teacher, begins by hiding his story because it upsets him too much. He keeps a photo of his wife and son and even as he play he continuously glances at the photo to show how playing the piano emotionally reminds him of them. There death had been as a result of his wife being a Jew, and at that time the Jews were murdered as part of Hitler’s regime. But yet Keller chose to play for Hitler during that time in order to save and protect his family as ‘who would harm his wife and child'’ if he played for him'. He had believed that being a famous German citizen would hinder his family from the Nazi’s but yet he was mistaken and in the end he was betrayed and his family did get murdered causing him to basically give up and stay isolated from everyone. Mathilde, a Jewish contralto and Wagner specialist in the past had died around the 1940s, and having been said, even listening to Wagner Tristan at the Brisbane Symphony Debacle causes Keller to react very strangely, causing people to even say ‘not again Keller’ and trying to settle him, showing that this was not the first time that this kind of incident had occurred. This displays how even listening to what reminds him too much of Mathilde would drive him to act in that manner. He also expresses ‘on tempt and self-hate’ when he himself plays it. Even though Paul finds it overwhelming by its ‘sensual aching’ beauty while Keller dismisses it as it is ‘cheap tricks’. Keller dismisses it because it brings about alot of memory of his past. Even Paul a self-centred person, in the beginning, during his childhood holds a negative opinion against Keller and dislikes him. Not only for his appearance, but also his teaching techniques and his attitude towards him resulting Paul to rebel to anything he says and also disregard any advice. The first few lessons would pass by without Paul playing not one key which further irritates him. But as time passes by and Paul becomes a young adult, Keller death makes him realise and regret what he had done in the past and how he has lost every opportunity to fulfil his dream of becoming a concert pianist. He also loses hope that Keller would never be able to help him prepare for that ‘one last assault on the world of music’. This illustration of how Paul being arrogant and selfish resulted to not fulfilling his dream saddens him. Kellers’ past itself influenced Paul to be treated like a ‘son’ to Keller as he had lost his own son. Furthermore, Pauls’ father, John had grown up without a role model namely being his father. So he didn’t exactly give Paul a birthday present which every other kid got on his birthday. Paul was given music scores instead of a ‘football’ or an ‘electric train’ which showed that John had no experience of what to give a son on his birthday, as he himself probably didn’t receive any presents. Both Pauls’ parents had a great deal of love for music, and it influences their life a great deal. Nancy who is Pauls’ mother, take the move from Adelaide to Darwin quite harshly as she is not used to it. She leaves her ‘villa’ for the heat of Darwin. She had been in Adelaide for most her life and just to leave it upsets her. Coming from the country of Vienna, Keller’s past experience constrains him to basically flee his country and hide himself in Darwin, Australia making people assume that he had passed away. This is due to self-guilt from his past and as he continues to blame himself he had also promised that he would play they piano ever and even if he ever had the desire to, he would ‘hack of all his fingers one by one’ but his attempt has not lasted as he only ended up cutting of one finger. As his playing for Hitler had not saved his family, he reconsideration to play the piano for long, as he ends up teaching Paul, but he never really played when he was around. In conclusion, Maestro proves how the past can never really be left behind as nearly every past experience affects a person either in a small way or a large way. But in this case Kellers past affects him throughout his life after he loses his family and letting go of this is too hard for him. Pauls arrogance and stubbornness during his childhood, when taught by Keller, is regretted by him later in life and he only realises that his dream to be a concert piano is over. With Pauls’ parents, even though they moved from Adelaide to Darwin, in the end they end up moving back and his mother becomes a librarian like she used to be. By: Sureya