short story: Teenage wasteland

Short Story : Teenage Wasteland

The second story that caught my attention was Teenage Wasteland by Anne Tyler. I noticed that the tone throughout the story was very cautious and cynical in a way.

One theme that I saw was for parents to be active in their child’s life or it could turn into a wasteland. This means they lose themselves, give up their potential, and/ or harm themselves. I use the example of, “Daisy thought, how they must look to Mr. Lanham: an over-weight housewife in a cotton dress and a to-tall, too thin insurance agent in a baggy, frayed suit. Failures both of them…”. At this point of the story the father is seen, so far, as being somewhat absent. The fact that he isn’t mentioned a lot during the story shows that this figure is missing for Donny, I believe that is why he tries to fill it with Cal’s presence. Another theme is for you to be careful who you let guide you and who you allow to be your friend because they could have ulterior motives which could lead to your downfall. You tell everyone your life story they can find a weakness in you and deplete you of your joys in life. It’s seen through, “Cal’s first bill sent a flutter of panic through Daisy’s chest, but it was worth it, of course. Just look at Donny’s face when they picked him up: alright and full of interest…At home Donny didn’t act much different”. This shows that Cal’s motives were not to help Donny, but more as a means to support him. As Donny expresses no significant increase in spunk or higher grades Cal still expects the highest payment.

 Tyler uses characterization and symbols to foreshadow the downfall of Donny’s character. For example Cal’s home symbolizes how empty the teen’s life is becoming. They find a party place instead of a quiet place to learn or study. It states, “What a neat guy and what a house! All those kids hanging out like a club.” This is significant because it shows how Cal acts as a friend to the children in order to corrupt them. Creates the image of a lounge and a place for them to open up to him, but if Donny still behaves the same nothing expressed in this “home” is a good thing. Daisy’s character unfortunately allows him to do it because she is unsure of her role as a mother. It states, “That night, Daisy lay awake pondering the term self-worth. She had always been free with her promise. She had always told Donny he had talent, was smart, was good with his hands was that his trouble”. This indicates that her self-condemnation leaves her unable to stand up and guide her son through life properly. These things coupled with an overall disconnected home unit forms Donny as an unstable person. He is easily persuaded by what Cal says and how Cal acts that he loses himself. Even from early on in his childhood he would lie about simple things even with the evidence in plain sight. This proves that he is truly a flawed individual. Every child lies but he hasn’t grown out of it. I believe his disregard for life is his own downfall.

To sum up I believe Anne Tyler used Teenage Wasteland to warn teens nowadays that you have to take responsibility for your own life, because if you allow others to manipulate you, you will lose yourself. It’s hard for teens to know there place in the world, but even if your parents aren’t there you have to make it. With the wrong guidance your goals of becoming a doctor, lawyer, artist, and teacher can be taken away.