Where Do We Belong?

            In her article "Everyone Knows Where They Belong," Katy Waldman argues that one of the reasons young adult literature is so appealing is because it gives readers a better understanding of who they are as they relate to the characters depicted on the pages who are labeled as belonging to certain groups yet still stand out as individuals. During the adolescent years, young people are socialized to recognize the differences among one another, form cliques with people who share similar interests, and at the same time, define who they are as individuals and figure out who they want to be. For example, many years before they graduate from high school, students are forced to try and figure out what career path they want to purse, and in turn, who they are going to be once they graduate. It is a constant guessing game of Who am I? and What is my purpose? that never really seems to go away as people enter adulthood and continue to question their identity and where they fit into such a big world. Young adult literature provides examples of characters who are experiencing this same kind of struggle in the same kind of categorized world that exists in reality. The characters are forced into labels while they simultaneously yearn to fit in and remain true to their individual self. Therefore, Waldman makes a sound argument: young adult literature is appealing because it helps readers gain a better understanding of who they are and the potential they have to be someone special.

            Young adult literature often depicts characters who are struggling to understand who they are, where they fit in, and what their purpose in life is going to be, which young adults and adults alike can relate. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie writes about a young boy named Junior who lives on a reservation and struggles with understanding who he is; he feels trapped between his Spokane roots and his new school where he is the only Indian besides the mascot (56). Junior says, "I woke up on the reservation as an Indian, and somewhere on the road to Reardon, I became something less than Indian" (Alexie 83). He struggles to fit into one category, which makes him question his identity. In Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell introduces characters that have a hard time fitting in. When Eleanor first walks down the bus aisle, she is seen as "big and awkward" and out of place (Rowell 8). In fact, no one even wants her to sit with them. Who cannot relate to these feelings of confusion, loneliness, and rejection?  

Despite this desire to fit in among others, Waldman makes the argument that the characters in young adult literature are often viewed as “heroes” when they go against the grain and step out as individuals. Waldman believes that “as much as teenagers (and adults!) yearn to blend in, they/we also want to shine forth as special snowflakes.” In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Junior is ridiculed for leaving his reservation to attend school in a predominantly white area, but he is later admired for his actions. Similarly, in Eleanor & Park, the characters find solace in their separation from the crowd and the norms they are expected to follow. Despite their challenging of their labels, the characters in so many young adult stories find hope, love, and purpose. It is this kind of message that so many adolescents are searching for, and they can find it within the pages of young adult literature.

Young adult literature provides readers with examples of characters who go through the same kinds of struggles readers are facing every day. Generally, those characters make it out okay in the end, and readers can grasp on to that hope in those moments of confusion when hope and acceptance seem far away. Perhaps adults also love young adult literature because it brings them back to a time when life was a little simpler, when one of their biggest stressors focused around finding a group to accept them and find a permanent space to fill in the cafeteria. Every day young adults face a constant battle of feeling pressured to fit in, yet they have a strong desire to stand out and be unique. Young adult literature demonstrates that struggle with characters who often step out of their expected role and succeed. Readers need to know they can succeed too.

 

Works Cited

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007. Print.

Rowell, Rainbow. Eleanor & Park. New York: St. Martin's, 2013. Print.

Waldman, Katy. "Everyone Knows Where They Belong." Slate. 21 March 2015. Web. 25 June     2015.