Education Despite School: The Making and Breaking of Individualized Identity in YA Literature
Formal education through school is commonly considered to be the primary source of necessary life skills for young adults. However, contemporary young adult literature often highlights the failure of formal education, which often serves at best as a place where knowledge is occasionally sought and at worst as a place that threatens the lives of its students. Rather than supporting the idealized view of schooling as a source of inspiration, young adult literature suggests that school largely prevents the growth of individual identity. In my paper, I intend to examine the role of schooling as portrayed in Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak and Ned Vizzini’s It’s Kind of a Funny Story. Focusing primarily on close reading, this paper will study the role of school in the expression of individualized identity. In Speak, Melinda struggles to use her voice to express a traumatic incident, which she slowly learns to do largely in spite of the schooling that she suffers through. Surrounded by teachers that encourage conformity and the continual stifling of her individual voice, it seems to be a miracle that Melinda finds expression and freedom in art class. Meanwhile, in It’s Kind of a Funny Story, Craig is a formerly intelligent and creative individual who forgets his own unique qualities when the immense pressure to excel in school stifles his individuality and brings on depression. While peers at school continue to suffer similar mental health issues, Craig only improves upon removal from the demands of the school. Following the examination of schooling within these texts, I will include a study of the importance of self-expression and identity among the young adult population which will allow me to draw conclusions regarding the vital role of school in providing an environment that allows for the growth of individualized identity.
Alexa Dicken is a PhD Candidate at St. John’s University.
Forms of Justice 