Role of Young Adult Novels in Promoting Self-Acceptance - Literature review Example

Role of Young Adult Novels in Promoting Self-Acceptance Discovering "self" is of particular importance to teens in the process of carving out their images -- images that become part of their personalities for the rest of their lives. No wonder, then, that young adult (YA) novels abound with particular references to self-acceptance. YA novels walk teens through a world of imagination, mingled with a touch of reality, in which they can align themselves with intellectually rich characters that best describe their hidden aspirations, boost their self-image, and hence carve out a world of their own with the aid of the knowledge thus acquired in order to reach out to their "self". Such is the world of fantasy and reality that gives foundations to the growing teens to conform to their true "self". Self-acceptance goes a long way to boost self-esteem, thus empowering young adults to become, and believe in, what they are. On the other hand, those who fail to recognize their true self, end up concealing their emotions, and subduing their natural talents in order to fit in the society, which they live in. Unfortunately, in their effort to conform to the society's expectations, such teens often tend to compromise on their true "self", and remain ignorant of their identity. Self-acceptance requires conscious effort, and courage to look into one's own eyes, but once done, it empowers teens to become useful members of society. Teens are particularly vulnerable to the expectations of the society to conform to its norms, which may not be in line with their need of self-acceptance, and, instead, may influence them negatively by taking away their freedom to act independently. The need for self-acceptance and society's conflicting expectations are beautifully illustrated in several young adult novels: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. These novels deal with the delicate and complex phenomenon of self-acceptance in a quite sophisticated manner. Ponyboy, the protagonist of the novel The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, is able to discover his true self after going through many trials that may affect him negatively. The novel gained its popularity among young adults for its fine depiction of violence in American schools. Ponyboy's conversations with Cherry, a Soc girl, and Randy Anderson, a Soc boy, help Ponyboy get a better look at practical life. In the beginning of the novel, Cherry, the Soc girl, says to Ponyboy, "We have troubles you've never even heard of… things are rough all over" (16). The truth behind Cherry's words reveals upon Ponyboy only after Randy shares his dislike for useless rumbles between Socs and greasers, and says, "I don't know what to do" (52). Ponyboy recalls, "I remembered Cherry's voice: Things are rough all over. I knew then what she meant" (52). Ponyboy is able to think with self-esteem and beyond class differences, which reflects in his tone while introducing himself to Randy. During conversation, Randy thanks Ponyboy for sharing his emotions by saying, "Thanks, grease … I meant, thanks, kid" (52). Ponyboy says, "My name's Ponyboy … Nice talkin' to you, Randy" (52). It is interesting to note how a "greaser" is identified as a "kid", and the "kid" as "Ponyboy", an identifiable person, not just an ordinary nobody. It is also worth mentioning how Ponyboy is able to detach himself from gang mentality -- Socs and greasers -- by saying about Randy, "He ain't a Soc … he's just a guy… He just wanted to talk" (53). Ponyboy experiences a final touch of self-acceptance when he finds a note that Johnny, his friend, left to him, "You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want" (79). Ponyboy is finally able to concentrate on his studies, and write a paper based on his own experiences. Stargirl, the protagonist of the novel Stargirl by Jerry Spinelly, is another beautiful example of self-acceptance. Susan Julia Caraway, a 10th grade girl, is a completely different and a mysterious sort of girl, who names herself Stargirl. She is a buoyant, free soul, who sings happy birthday songs, helps others and spreads happiness. Her self-awareness leads her to change her names to better suit her personality over the time. When asked why she changed her name, she says, "Because I didn’t feel like Susan anymore" (43). We find it interesting that for a person with well developed "self", even his or her name is not a permanent feature, as is the case with Stargirl. Stargirl is a beautiful personification of an individual's sense of uniqueness, and a continuation of human side of emotions, whereas Mica high school's community can be symbolized as a slow-paced society, which is unable to comprehend an occasional Stargirl or a Starboy. Stargirl becomes cheerleader for Mica High School's football team, and inspires a sense of being and identity in the team, as Leo narrates, "We fell in love with our team. When we spoke of it, we used the word "we" instead of "they"" (36). The problem starts when Stargirl cheers for the other team at a basketball game, and is blamed for Mica's failure. Students, led by Hillari Kimble, the antagonist, turn against her. They shun her. Being Stargirl's boyfriend, Leo is also ignored, which he does not like and asks Stargirl to become "normal" like her other peers (47). Although, becoming "normal" would destroy her, she tries to do so for the sake of Leo's love. It proves a big failure, because the shunning grows to such an extent that nobody greets her even when she returns to Mica after winning a speech contest at Phoenix. Finally, she decides to be what she really is, and abandons trying to look "normal", without caring much for what others think of her, as narrated by Leo, "I did not see her for the rest of the weekend. By Monday, she was Stargirl again" (117). It is at this moment of self-realization that Stargirl is finally able to win the attention of her peers through her uniqueness, and faith in her own personality. Stargirl goes to the Ocotillo Ball, despite the fact that Leo does not invite her, where she catches the attention of the participants. People think she is wonderful. She is so complete that others feel shallow in front of her. She dances giving "every impression of thoroughly enjoying herself" (123). Leo narrates, "She's alone, …, yet somehow that seemed to matter less and less… it came to them in small sensations that they were more alone than she was" (123). Boys walk up to her and "the ice shattered… Stargirl led the way… she had the school in her spell" (123). The novel beautifully depicts conflict between a teen trying to find "self" against a society. The instant popularity of Stargirl represents recognition of one's "self" by the community. The rejection and shunning can be viewed as societal pressures that hinder a teen who does not go by the old-age rotten traditions. Leo can be aligned with beneficiaries of Star people. Stargirl's trying to become normal and then abandoning this effort can be viewed as a process of finding "self" through trial and error in the face of societal pressures. The more Stargirl tunes into herself, the more she personifies the uniqueness, and the strength, of "self", so much so that Leo narrates, "They did not speak to her, of course, but they could not help looking over the shoulders of their dates" (123). This is just like what happens to a person who is brighter than the rest of the community. People hesitate to join hands with him, although they appreciate him or her. We also see that it really does not matter if a society cannot absorb a teen who dares threaten its stale traditions; what matters is that teens do not lose touch with themselves, so that they are able to find their "self". The moment Stargirl lost her "self", she started begging for attention by dangling round her neck a sign "that read: TALK TO ME AND I'LL SCRATCH YOUR BACK" (104). It is like begging the society to accept one as a member. On the contrary, society goes on at its own pace, without caring whether an individual catches up. However, when she regained contact with her "self", Stargirl grew so much from within that she did not have to ask for attention. Every teen can be a stargirl or a starboy, provided they are ready to find their "self", instead of yielding to the demands of society. Stargirl induces a sense of being in readers. At the end of the novel, Stargirl assumes Christ-like personality. She is no more seen physically, but is felt everywhere like a saintly figure that helps others, and inspires others to help people, giving a strong message of "be yourself". The same message runs through Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. Uglies live in primitive style cities and the pretties live in the New Pretty City, in which everything including inhabitants is extremely beautiful. Tally Youngblood, the protagonist, is anxiously waiting for her 16th birthday, when she will be able to undergo operation and become "Pretty", after which she will be able to move across the river to The New Pretty City. She also thinks becoming pretty ends all social problems. All teens under the age of 16 are considered to be uglies and nobodies. Later, Tally befriends Shay who does not want to become a "Pretty", and thinks that operation is in fact unnatural. In the course of events, Tally along with other main characters of the novel Shay, David, and David's parents discover that over-authoritative government, which transforms not only people's appearance but also minds, is not acceptable. Tally is forced into spying Shay to become a pretty or face the danger of remaining an ugly all her life. Tally spies on Shay, and causes the Special Circumstances -- the New Pretty City's police -- to attack the Smoke -- abode of the uglies. The Smoke is destroyed, and Shay is transformed into a pretty against her will. Knowing that it is her fault, Tally's makes a decision to become a "willing subject" (168) for the experiment to be carried out by Maddy, David's mother, in order to reverse the effects of Shay's operation carried out by Specials. We observe that Tally accepts she has been spying on Shay, and it was her fault that The Specials were able to find out, and attack, the Smoke. Although she waits for an appropriate time to reveal this truth, she does tell it to David, Shay, and Maddy. What inspires a reader is Tally's ability to tell her peers about her actions. It also shows her acceptance of "self", because unless one accepts one's actions, one does not talk about it. She told the truth, and then was able to define her future course of action: going back to the New Pretty City, along with Shay. She felt more assured of herself. Similarly, Tally inspires the readers by her courage to make instant decision with her free will, when she says to Maddy, "Okay, you’ve got a willing subject"… "Me" (169). The reader feels that this ability to make quick decision shows her well-developed sense of "self" that helps her stand out in the face of difficult situations. Another example of self-acceptance is displayed by Maddy. Tally says that they do not need Shay's permission to carry out reversal operation on her, because the Specials also did not take Shay's permission to turn her into pretty. At this, Maddy says, "That’s the difference between us and them," (168). She further says, "I’m not going to do medical experiments on unwilling subjects" (168). No doubt that the young adult novels carry a wealth of wisdom, which enables teens to learn to accept themselves as they are, to discover, and face, their true "self". Young adult novels are a great source of inspiration for the young adults, and these should be used as such. Furthermore, a society has its expectations from them. However, the teens should not yield to such demands of society if they hinder the development of their "self". Works Cited Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. 15 Feb 2009. Spinelli, Jerry. Stargirl. 25 Feb 2009. Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies. 08 Mar 2009. Read More