Teenage wasteland free essay sample

Introduction What causes Donny to feel the need to rebel from his family? The story â€Å"Teenage Wasteland† written by Ann Tyler revolves around an over protective mother and her rebellious son. Donny’s rebellious attitude is caused by three factors. The first factor is Donny’s mother is very strict. For example, Donny’s mother shows how strict she is by implementing rules such as, no TV on school nights, and no talking on the phone till he finishes his homework. As shown in the text on page 189 paragraph 3. Another example, Daisy would sit next to Donny everyday checking his assignments and the quality of work he put into them as is supported from the text in paragraph 4 page 189. Also Donny was forced to attend psychologist appointments to correct his behavioral issues as set forth by his mother. Which is supported by the evidence on page 189 paragraph 9. Overall a strong factor in Donny’s rebellious attitude stems from the fact that his mother is overbearing and Donny feels that he has no freedom, therefore Donny feels pressure and continues to act out. We will write a custom essay sample on Teenage wasteland or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The second factor in Donny’s rebellious attitude is the freedom he receives with having Cal as his tutor. For example, on page 191 paragraph 48 Donny uses the tutor as a crutch to get him out of trouble because he was talking I class instead of listening. Donny continuously takes advantage of the fact that Cal is his tutor for example, he goes to a rock concert with him which his mother would have never aloud before he had his tutor. As supported by the text on page 192 paragraph 56. The final Factor that Donny used Cal to his advantage when his rebellious behavior got him kicked out of school. Donny was caught with a locker full of beer and used Cal in the sense to defend his word to his mother that he was not at fault. I found the support for this evidence on page 194 paragraph 94. In conclusion uses the factor (Cal) as his crutch to hide behind the actions that his mother would not approve of. Three factor cause Donny’s attitude towards rebellion. A very strong factor out these 3 that led to Donny’s rebellious behavior was when he gained the freedom that he had with Cal. Since then Donny had more freedom then he did beforehand, as a result Donny seized the opportunity to rebel even more. Overall Donny’s mother kept trying to fix her sons attitude problem, but the more she tried the worse it got. Teenage Wasteland free essay sample Many mothers make mistakes with their first child. They may not give them enough attention, or they may give them too much attention. In the two short stories â€Å"I stand Here Ironing† by Tillie Olsen and â€Å"Teenage Wasteland† by Anne Tyler, both of the mothers reflect back on the struggle they had raising their first child. They talk about how they handled situations and what they would change if they could do it over. Both â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† and â€Å"Teenage Wasteland† depict a mother struggling with guilt, thereby showing the difficulties involved in raising children. Lastly, both stories depict mothers struggling with guilt over past decisions made concerning their first child. In â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† the mother regrets that she didn’t have the knowledge then, that she does now. She shows this when she says â€Å"My wisdom came too late† (Olsen 813). The mother feels that she did better raising her other children, and only made mistakes concerning her first child. We will write a custom essay sample on Teenage Wasteland or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When she looks at her daughter’s life she finds herself wishing she could have done more for her. Just like in â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† by Olsen, â€Å"Teenage Wasteland† by Tyler also depicts a mother struggling with guilt over decisions she made while raising her son. The author shows the mothers helplessness by saying â€Å"Had she really done all she could have? † (Tyler 1170). The mother felt helpless in the problems with her son, and feels guilty for not trying to do more. She also wonders if she had really done all that she could have to help her son or if she pushed him too much. Both mothers struggled with guilt and the consequences of their decisions concerning their first child. There are many difficulties that arise while raising children; these short stories are about two mothers that both struggled with the guilt of their decisions involving their first child. The majority of new mothers make mistakes with their children that they later regret. It’s all part of learning the best way to do things and finding the way through unfamiliar territory.