Analysis of Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez - Essay Example

In order to achieve this, the paper will analyze the book in relation to the characteristics of adolescents’ literature. Overview of ‘Before we were free’ ‘Before we were free’ is a novel that centers on a young girl who, together with her family, lives in a dictatorial territory. The girl, Anita, is taken to school and grows up to be sexually attractive to two boys. The aim of the education system is to however to teach her spoken English and to mold her into being a good member of the society and the territory.

The political environment is however tense with a lack of freedom of speech and the freedom of expression. A dictatorial rule becomes ruthless, with people disappearing from the scene, an occurrence that prompts a mobilization for the assassination of the dictator, Trujillo. Anita’s father is then arrested because of suspected involvement in the plot and plans follow for her escape from the territory amid her fears (Alvarez, p. 1 - 153). The text as an adolescent literature One of the major features of adolescent literature that is applied in the text is an adolescent protagonist.

This means that the literature’s outline is centered on an adolescent from whom other characters’ roles are derived. A review of the literature, ‘Before we were free,’ identifies Anita, a 12-year-old, as the main character. The major themes of the book that includes freedom and social relationships are also developed through her as other characters are defined in relation to Anita. Her sister, Lucinda, is for instance described from Anita’s point of reference. The author illustrates Lucinda’s emotional instability relative to that of Anita.

While the two characters were both sad, at an instance, Anita was able to hold her composure than her sister. Similarly, the author uses Anita in demonstrating other characters' conditions under her narration. She is for instance used to illustrate the learning conditions and rules at her school in which pupils had to emulate practices in American schools. The same approach is used to illustrate the society’s suffering under the police officers that induced fear on the society (Alvarez, p.

1, 12, 17). The application of a familiar setting is another characteristic of adolescent literature that is observable in the text. A family set up through Anita’s family for example illustrates a home with which every adolescent is familiar. Scenes such as the rules in American schools as well as the suffering under the dictatorial rule are also common knowledge among the target group, as they relate top history and contemporary issues acquired through curriculum syllabus or from informally learned history from adults and news.

Similarly, the expressly and impliedly demonstrated themes of dictatorial leadership and family relationships are daily experiences of adolescents who are under constant guidance by parents in their family setups and by teachers in schools (Alvarez, p. 79). Application of the first-person narration, as well as the passive role of adults in the development of major themes, also identifies the work as adolescent literature. The main character, Anita, is the narrator in the story and presents the story and other characters from her point of view while the involved adults in the plot such as Anita’s father and Trujillo are just facilitators of themes of conflict, lack of freedom and relationships (Alvarez, p.

1- 150; Public, p. 1).