In the beginning of one’s life, it is always a challenge to grow up and to discover a new sense of self. Nowadays, divorce is a growing tragedy in a child’s life that can cause a rippling effect down the course of their future. The narrative essay by Greg Graffin called, “Anarchy in the Tenth Grade”, has a similar concept about him dealing with life without a father, trying to understand high school, and finding out what kind of man he wants to become. In this essay, Graffin struggles to conform to authority in relation to the in-group theory, and lives with two role identities of his subculture lifestyle battling fatherhood which is more than a conflict of social identity. The role identity that McCall and Simmons suggest is which …show more content…
On the other hand, to Graffin, it was a group that he longed to be apart of and to relate to his sense of self. He has difficulties contributing to his different social groups in which Allport mentions this idea, proclaiming that, “Adolescents may view their neighborhood gang as a far more important in-group than their school” (5). This links the two theories together in a sense that an identity role cannot be without an in-group for an individual to honor that role. The hardships Graffin faces at a young age influences his in-group decisions. The punk group bonds over hardships, sex, drugs, and voices their opinions. The group colors their hair, wears tight jeans, and the color black is often represented. Consistently, they are often found disagreeing or questioning the presence of authority figures because of their strong passion as nonconformists. Nevertheless, as Graffin grows up he changes overtime by keeping the same thoughts on the punk subculture, but he moves on with his life in pursuing education. The poverty and divorced parents are Graffin’s ascribed status, but his achieved status is not only becoming punk. It is also earning his master’s degree and continuing his education. Continuing to care for his subculture lifestyle, he wants to better the punk community to be more of a gateway for people to express emotion. Furthermore, he wants to teach …show more content…
In high school, it is difficult for him to conform to authority. He rebels against the perspective of others labeling him in the out-group, the pressures of school, and the unoriginality of others. At this point, his musical identity takes over his role of being a student. Even going back to college, he struggles to complete his master’s degree because of the similarities to his high school years. Another experience he deals with, represents an inability to form relations with women because of his inner punk views. Being a punk male, he has a hard time understanding women and their views on society, “We were too young to have sex…it became more an act of rebellion and experimentation than an expression of affection or intimacy” (27). This reflects the role-identity theory because Graffin is unable to pursue a relationship with women since his punk role is stronger and takes over his judgment. At this point in this life, he is trying to have a loving relationship, but he is conflicted by his identity as a nonconformist. The restriction he faces to take the husband or father role will always be influenced from his majority punk role. Stryker asserts that the salience theory is how people will behave more frequently based on the importance of a particular role. Graffin definitely projects his inner punk identity more often compared to his other roles.
Cohen and Short developed a model of the four types of deviant subcultures. This model can be used to categorize gangs that were viewed in the film. Doughboy and his friends can be categorized in the first type of the deviant subcultures which is the parent-male subculture, which is the basic and most common deviant subculture. Doughboy and his friends all have a negative attitude toward many people in the neighbourhood and most of them especially Doughboy have no goal in mind for the future. Doughboy and his friends could also be categorized into the second time of deviant
Tobias Wolff’s memoir, “This Boy’s Life”, explores the idea that an individual’s actions can be altered due to the people they are exposed to. The protagonist Jack Wolff lives an impressionable life where he undergoes somewhat of a dilemma in relations to his actions, being incapable of changing for the greater good of himself. The absence of a proper male role model plays a large role on Jack’s actions, though is definitely not the only reason. Jack’s actions are influenced by Rosemary’s abusive and power craving ex-husband Roy, as well as Dwight’s violent and arrogant personality. However, Jack is also responsible for his
Johnson provides a brief account of the novella 's plot, together with his own perspective on the fact that so much of literature and literary analysis concentrates on the relationships that the characters have. In this case, the author examines the family as composed of children of ineffectual parents. While this writer does not know this with certainty, it is possible that many cases requiring family therapy are due to this very cause. The author then goes on to discuss the family in the context of the greater social system.
In The Outsiders, a book written by S.E. Hinton, there are two polar opposite gangs, the socs and the greasers. The socs, who are high class, have mustangs and “tuff” cars and wear plaid clothing called madras. The Greasers, who are lower class, are known for their long and greasy hair, wearing leather jackets and being hoods. They only have each other and always have everyone’s back. No matter the situation like leaving a door open in case they need to run away from home because of an abusive dad , they can count on one another. Ponyboy, a 14 year old Greaser, who is also the protagonist, along with other characters lose themselves while trying to be someone else they’re not. Hinton teaches us that it is important to remember that individual
The character of Andrew is used to explore moral reasoning, identity statuses, and the effect of peer pressure on an adolescent development. Andrew’s character was analyzed to see how it is related to the Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of Moral Reasoning. It was found that he displayed both the preconventional level and the conventional level. However he has not displayed the postconventional level. His character was analyzed to see how it is related to James Marcia theory of identity statuses. His character display identity diffusion, identity foreclosure, identity moratorium, but has not displayed any signs of identity achievement. Finally his character was be analyzed to see how he
Self image is crucial for an individual’s sense of well being. It can also be a source for their identity and dreams for the future. As well, others’ impressions of the individual considerably affects their view of themselves. This interaction can either build their self esteem or tear it down. In his short story, “The Glass Roses”, Alden Nowlan explores the idea that when an individual is coming of age and is struggling to determine their identity, how others’ perceive them - specifically father figures - deeply influences how they perceive themselves. Stephen, the protagonist, is a fifteen year old boy on the cusp of adulthood working in his father’s woodcutting company. As he finds fascination in beauty and feels enslaved by the work, he fails to gain his father’s approval and falls to depression. Fortunately, he forms a friendship with the Polack, who provides a kinder definition of being a man as well as a hope for the future.
While George and I share same social aspects we also share some personal aspects with each other. Like George, I was left without a father figure in my life. George’s father and my father left around the same time in our lives, which I find particularly interesting. Our fathers left when we were between the ages of seven and ten years old. As our fathers left we were looked at as the “man of the house” in our household. This might seem like a big responsibility for young boys our age but, we established ways to make a positive result for ourselves and those affected by the situation.
The short story “The Glass Roses”, is a coming of age story that’s thematic topic revolves around a search for identity. Stephen, who is only a boy of 15 years struggles to understand what attaining manhood really is when he meets Leka, a man who juxtaposes Stephen’s father’s identity. Through his struggle, Nowlan leads us to the understanding of the influence of family and community on identity, the different versions of what makes a man, and a youth’s development of identity as a man. Nowlan suggests that youths are very impressionable during their coming of age, and what they have grown up with is who they are likely to become. For example, Stephen’s father is a hard man who expects much the same Stephen. Though through Leka, he sees
Though the family did not turn to violence like the Misfit, they still had their own set of issues. The other members of the family seem to be embodiments of society’s most self-interested and materialistic. O’Connor illustrates that with each generation of this family, there were no positive role models. Each generation had no effective parent to exhibit the correct way to function in society. Each generation then was stuck in
Much like Maeve’s trial and error phase, Erikson’s theory of identity versus role confusion explains psychological conflict of adolescence. This theory states that this conflict is resolved positively when adolescents achieve an identity after a period of exploration and inner soul searching. If a young person’s earlier conflicts were resolved negatively or if society limits their choices to ones that do not match their abilities and desires, they may appear shallow, directionless, and unprepared for the challenges of late adulthood. (p. 314). Maeve luckily didn’t make many choices that were resolved negatively. These social and emotional changes weren’t always easy for the rest of the family to deal with, but they were a part of her growth. With us there to provide nurturing support, she was able to develop her own healthy identity after her period of “soul searching.”
Survival instincts allow individuals to persevere during times of hardship and struggle. Unfortunately, many families in America are struggling lower-middle class or live in poverty. It’s nice to think a person can easily go from being dirt poor to filthy rich, but it doesn’t usually work that way. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton depicts the hardships and struggles experienced by two rival gangs, “The Greasers” from the lower middle class and “The Socs” from the upper class. Thesis: In The Outsiders, the Greasers experience disenfranchisement mostly due to socioeconomic class and appearance. However, other types of disenfranchisement such as drug, alcohol use and gang participation are also present in the novel.
In his research Jay Macleod, compares two groups of teenage boys, the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers. Both groups of teenagers live in a low income neighborhood in Clarendon Heights, but they are complete opposites of each other. The Hallway Hangers, composed of eight teenagers spend most of their time in the late afternoon or early evening hanging out in doorway number 13 until very late at night. The Brothers are a group of seven teenagers that have no aspirations to just hang out and cause problems, the Brothers enjoy active pastimes such as playing basketball. The Hallway Hangers all smoke, drink, and use drugs. Stereotyped as “hoodlums,” “punks,” or “burnouts” by outsiders, the Hallway Hangers are actually a varied group, and much
In the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, embarks on a story of a young boy Greaser, his gang, the rivalry with the Socs, and how it all ended. The main theme of The Outsider was social class. Socs have wealth that helps them through life,and their parents have enough money to do anything for them. Greasers do not have an education, and that is true because they do not have enough money and the privilege to get the guidance they need. On the other hand, Socs do not have to worry about not having a bad education because they can afford one. Although greasers have the opportunity to stop and smell the roses, but Socs do not have the cherishable life they wish for. Hinton notifies, through the text, the main reason for the gang’s separation is because of their social class and expectations.
The punk subculture is often seen as a rebellious group of misguided youngsters who often come from lower class dwellings and haven’t gotten the attention that they needed so they dye their hair, dress differently, and act differently. In Facing The Music edited by Simon Frith, Mary Harron reduced the meaning of punk to “the spectacle of middle-class children dressing up in a fantasy of proletarian aggression and lying desperately about their backgrounds” (History). The flipside to that is that maybe these youths are expressing their individualism and choose to stray away from
Erikson’s stage of Identity vs. Role Confusion (13-19 years old), was a crucial time for my brother and I, as my parents decided to put us back in public school. I was thirteen-years old at the time, just entering the eighth grade as a “new kid” in a very small rural community. This was beyond some of my toughest