Maestro Essay

Although Paul Crabbe, the central protagonist of Maestro, is relentlessly driven to achieve international success as a concert pianist, his failure to achieve his goal, and that of his parents, does not ruin his life. The author, Peter Goldsworthy, goes beyond merely suggesting that relationships are more important than success; he repeatedly shows that achieving commitment, understanding and love in a relationship is of paramount importance in life. Goldsworthy also explores the concept that while potentially relationships certainly must be abandoned, sometimes lack of nurturing or even neglect can unhappily weaken or threaten even the most meaningful relationships. Despite Paul and Keller’s relationship being central to the plot, the minor characters of his parents, Megan Murray, Rosie Zollo, Jimmy Pappas and his gang, Bennie Reid and Rick Whiteley, highlight other aspects of Paul's character and development. The subsequent unhappiness is sure proof that it is more important to develop and maintain fulfilling and loving relationships than to achieve mere worldly success.

Relationships play an integral part in Maestro. Through the relationships the author forms, we are able to gain a greater insight into the character of Paul, the narrator. Paul's central relationship with Keller changes as he matures and tries to understand his teacher. Their relationship can be viewed as both enriching and destructive for Paul. While Paul and Keller’s relationship is often characterised by brutal honesty and their prickly student/teacher association, the novel also traces their growing fondness of each other. While Paul is away in Adelaide he sends Keller a Christmas card; Keller responds by sending a “signed first edition” of Czerny opus 599. The fact that the parcel is rather carelessly wrapped says something, perhaps, of Keller’s nonchalance about this rare possession, but more than that it indicates that he does not want Paul to read too much into it. Still it remains a...