On The Road Of Growth

Young adulthood is an independent transitional period from childhood to adulthood. In this period, the young adult is in a state of contradiction where independence and dependence, maturity and naivety, seclusion and openness co-exist. Therefore, he or she needs the guidance and help from society, family and peer friends. Since 1950s, a lot of critical and important events have occurred to American politics, economics and society. With the influences and the changes in family and marriage concepts in America, many changes have taken place in the characteristics of American families. In this chaotic and turbulent society, adolescents' growth risks more than before. Many problems concerned with adolescents come into being and draw more people's attention, including young adult writers.In Mom, the Wolf Man and Me, Norma Klein describes the psychological growth of a eleven-year-old girl, Brett, who lives in a single-parent family. The author discovers that even in unconventional families adolescents can grow normally and healthily so long as he or she has a helpful growing environment. In Dinky Hooker Shoots Smack!, M.E. Kerr, by portraying a fat fourteen-year-old girl' psychological development from silence to resistance, shows that the heroin Dinky, though living in a family with both parents, develops an abnormal psychology when her parents fail to meet her needs. Both her parents spend too much time on problematic children but neglect their own daughter. Thus they create a disharmonious environment for their daughter. In order to show the influence of society and family upon adolescents' growth and what has been done to them and what needs to be done for them, I will analyze the psychological growths of Brettto be done for them, I will analyze the psychological growths of Brett and Dinky respectively, which can form a contrast. At the same time, it is proven that respect and concern from adults (especially parents), and support and understanding from peer friends are critical to the healthy and normal growth of adolescents. How to provide a warm and harmonious environment to young adults is also contained in thepaper.The outline of the paper is presented as follows: Part One "Society, Family and Adolescents" provides historical background related to the two novels and its influences on family and growth of young adults of the same period.Part Two "A Concerto Played in a Single-parent Family" lays emphasis on the introduction of the author Norma Klein and her novel Mom, the Wolf Man and Me and analyzes the healthy psychological growth of the heroin Brett under the influence of society and family.Part Three "The Variation Played in a Family with Both Parents" introduces the author M.E. Kerr and her novel Dinky Rocker Shoots Smack! and makes an analysis on the unhealthy growth of the heroin Dinky under the influence of society and family.Part Four "Conclusion" centers on the more risks in modern society which affect the growth of young adults and the methods which have been employed by people to solve problems faced by young adults; meanwhile it also calls on more people to show their concern to adolescents' growth.