Being an Adolescent
...rnegie Hall. Paul then decided to get away from everything, and he did so by stealing money and heading to New York. “Everything was quite perfect; he was exactly the kind of boy he had always wanted to be.” But what kind of boy steals money in search of his own happiness in a big city. Paul “never lied for pleasure, even at school; but to make himself noticed and admired.” Soon the newspapers in New York caught word of Paul, and the money he stole, and his father went to search for him. The newspaper reported that his father refunded the full amount of his theft, and that Paul wouldn’t get in trouble if he turned himself in. Paul then became so afraid of what his father was going to do to him, that he didn’t realize his father just wanted to help him. He went to the railroad tracks and removed himself completely from society. What Paul realized at the moment of death, was the things he left undone, and that he died an early death. The story of Among the Mourners is centered on the life of Aurora, who is a thirteen year old going through the period of adolescence with a boy Giorgio. The story is set around a man who just committed suicide, and the funeral is being held at Aurora’s house. Aurora is a typical teenager with the attitude that her parents are the worst, and all she can think about is how they try and make her “have a normal life.” She is involved in the Pep squad, the swim team, and with her new boyfriend Giorgio. Aurora leads a typical teenage life, always going over to Giorgio’s and becoming attached to his mother, because she thinks her mother isn’t as cool. She states, “Even if Giorgio did quit liking me I would never do one thing to make Mrs. Levine unhappy.” To me Aurora is at the age in here life where she is starting to make decisions and think on her own. The night she had her first sexual experience was a great example, because she realized that Giorgio wasn’t the one for her after all. Aurora’s relationship with her parents develops as she develops in the story. Aurora’s strong belief at the beginning of the story that, “If someone kills themselves they don’t get my respect,” changes her parents view at the end. Her parents realized that having their children around suicide had a negative effect on them. Aurora also realized that her parents were very cool people after all, which we all realize through our experiences in adolescence. In the story Harrison Bergeron, Harrison was trapped in a society where everyone was finally equal. Harrison was a fourteen year old boy, who is seven feet tall and 300 pounds. The society during the time, allowed for no one to be more intelligent than someone else. Harrison didn’t have a relationship with his parents, because he was in jail for plotting to overthrow the government. The society created around him believed him to be an outcast, because he was the perfect person: strong, a genius, and an athlete. The socially acceptable norms of our society today, such as freedom, and freedom of speech were eliminated in this new style of government. Harrison was alone in his stage of adolescence, which we all are at some point in our life. There is a time that we have to make decisions on our own, and I think this is portrayed well through Harrison. Harrison was alone in jail, he knew his parents were out there, but that they were controlled by the handicapper general. He decided to stand up for what he believed was the right thing to do, and that was to escape from jail and no longer limit his capabilities. He shouted out, “Now watch me become what I can become!” as a message to everyone, that they too should become what they feel they can become. Harrison lived his last day with happiness and joy, but ultimately was killed by the handicapper general. The reoccurring theme of death plays an important role in all three of these stories. The theme of death or suicide in Paul’s Case is that Paul felt that was the only way for him to escape. He never reached out to anyone for help, and he knew he made the wrong decision as soon as he jumped in front of the train, “the vastness of what he had left undone.” Paul was in his own world, and my guess is he felt he couldn’t discuss his problems with his father, but regretted not doing so. Along the same lines is the man who committed suicide in Among the Mourners. “He didn’t have any parents, he was an orphan from the word go, which made it so tragic. The only one who had ever loved him was his wife and he betrayed her with another woman and then he couldn’t face the consequences of what he had done.” The same is true for Paul and that he couldn’t face the consequences of lying to his father and to himself. Harrison can also relate to this feeling of having no other choice. Harrison was strong though, he stood up against the government for which he saw controlled everyone. Although, I am guessing he knew he was going to die I think he died happy because he didn’t conform to someone else’s standard....