Rebellious Adolescents In The Mid-20^th Century American Literature

The Catcher in the Rye by Jerome David Salinger is concerned with the wandering experience in New York City of a troubled sixteen-year-old boy, and The Member of the Wedding by Caron McCullers is a story about the tortured life moments of an over-imaginative young Georgian girl. With these two novellas as exemplifications of representative initiation stories (Bildungsroman), this thesis aims to present their generalities and individualities, commonness and difference, as well as the deeper causes. Having surpassed a comparative study only, it tentatively probes into a series of questions regarding initiation stories in the mid-20^th America in general, namely, the common features that are likely to be presented in initiation stories dealing with troubled adolescents regardless of the gender and locality differentiations, the possible differences of adolescent literature on a boy's experience from that on a girl's, the distinctions between literature on the North and that on the South, and the possible links between adolescent literatures and other literary branches and critical theories.In addition to the Introduction and Conclusion, it consists of five individual chapters.The Introduction offers the previous studies done to The Catcher in the Rye and The Member of the Wedding (including the major controversies), prior comparative researches as to each of the two, and the insufficient studies on Bildungsromans at home and abroad. The strengths and weaknesses have been put forward, too. Quotations from previous researchers' works are provided, in order to make it more precise and persuasive.Chapter One validates the comparability and significance the research. To name a few, the selection of the two novellas is not randomly done, and the comparability comes primarily from the common traits they both share, e.g., similarity in plot in which the runaway disillusioned teenagers are treated. The prominent significances lie in the tentative solutions to a series of questions and its applicative value. The questions answered include the possible common features of initiation story of 20^th-century America, differences among Bidungsromans related to gender and locality variations, and what the stance ought to be taken towards the adolescent revolt; the applicative value lies in the revelation of the association with feminism, gender study, local colorism, a focus upon the troubled youth, and a series of generalized principles established.Chapter Two presents the similarities in plot development, character molding, and thematic concerns. Firstly, in terms of plot development, beginning with dissatisfaction with reality and illusion of a better life, both protagonists take on rebellious actions (e.g. running away from home), but with the realization of such impracticality, they eventually come to terms with reality, thus partly fulfilling their growing-up task. Secondly, similarities in character molding comprise similarities of protagonists and those of the influential characters. Both the hero and the heroine are rebellious and neurotic in personality with a dire need for love and constant feeling of loneliness. An analysis of the influential characters, including mentors and companions, would indicate they are ambiguous, even malicious, by nature and confusing to the adolescents, which points out the dilemma for the young minds. Thirdly, thematically speaking, both of the protagonists experience identity crisis in an assimilating society and they are self-identity seekers with differed emphasis and purposes. And though in different approaches, they launch a silent protest against the shackling society.Chapter Three concentrates on the differences at the level of ideology and narratology. In terms of the ideologies and worldviews, there are differed attitudes towards love and sex (open-mindedness VS. relative conservativeness), and towards the self-identification of gender roles (male consciousness VS. female rejection). Differences in narratology exist as well. The Catcher in the Rye adopts the picaresque style while The Member of the Wedding somewhat resembles a psychological drama with occasional gothic elements looming in it. As for the language usage, the former favors cursing words and ungrammatical phrases whereas the latter chiefly uses elegant and refined language. Finally, in terms of the narrative tone, the tone of despair and desperation permeates the former yet mood of hopefulness and leisure dominates the latter.Chapter Four reveals the major causes contributing to the above similarities and differences. They are similar because of the special mental characteristics of the adolescency and social-literary changes in mid-20^th America. Adolescents' sensitivity makes them rebel while the immaturity determines their flawed character. The influence of war, changed sexual attitudes, emergence of externalism and the flourishing of postmodernism are discussed next. And this thesis mainly attributes the differences to gender differentiations (differed personality traits, language and gender, social expectations upon gender role) and North-South regional differentiations (social environment, ideology, language usage).Chapter Five is about the generalized principles derived from the similarities, differences, as well as the analysis of the causes. It roughly draws a picture of the rebelling adolescents in mid-20^th American adolescent literature disregarding the gender and locality differences, and a brief inter-time comparison is then offered. Secondly, it answers how the Bidungsromans about a boy is made different from those about a girl, and how the Bidungsromans of the North differ from those of the South. Thirdly, it not only reveals the possibility of initiation stories' association with feminism, gender study, and local colorism, but also demonstrates the specific application of those theories to the study of Bidungsromans with the two subject novellas as examples, and differences from researching upon adult literature with the use of them are given as well. With s series of generalized principles established, the thesis probes into questions related to the initiation story, thus setting itself apart from a mere comparative study of two masterpieces of Bildungsromans.With a brief summary of the entire thesis, it naturally comes to the conclusion, which confirms the application value of this study and its helps for future researchers. The existence of the similarities and differences are not fortuitous, which proves the initiation stories' association with psychology, society, other literature, gender, and locality. Next is a discussion of the position of initiation stories of that time, their limitations, and suggestions for future researchers. In the developmental framework of American literature, they are the transition inheriting the traits of former Bidungsromans and rebellion works, and foreshadowing the soon-coming "Beat Generation" and more gloomy adolescent literature in the 1980s. As for the drawbacks, with the use of an immature teenager as the narrator, the truthfulness of reality may be distorted, and the objectivity and interpretation are thus challenged. Finally, more initiation story studies based upon on the differentiations of region, gender, race, and culture are welcomed; more samples from typical initiation stories are needed.In this regard, outstanding, original, and somewhat illuminating, rather than a mere comparative study, the thesis takes a step further because of its tentative answer to questions related to initiation story itself, which is obviously and meaningfully different from other ones to date that tend to be contented with a mere presentation of the sum-up of the similarities, differences, and sometimes a brief enumeration of deeper causes accounting for them from a sociological perspective usually. In addition to such applicative value, this research also distinguishes itself with a series of findings ingeniously proposed, such as the non-judgemental stance towards young rebels, the special focus only upon the troubled adolescents during growing-up phases, and so on.