The Issue of Maturing Response Paper
Becoming mature is one of the most crucial moments of any individual’s life, which comes along with many different problems. For instance, a young person starts to question himself or herself whether it is better to keep one’s individuality and personal traits or try to adjust to the society even if it means changing oneself. The problem of male maturing and developing a personality in a world of stereotypes is highlighted in several novels, which include Jerry Spinelli's “Wringer”.
The society keeps nurturing those stereotypes, which can make a boy’s life miserable if he does not fit them, and which are referred to as “the Boy Code”. Hade’s and Xu’s essay, “Lost Boys and Dead Dogs: Myths of American Boyhood” explains some of the aspects of this Boy Code. They include the belief that boys should not express emotions (especially, cry), as well as the thought that young males should always try to achieve the greatest success in order not to be thought of as a failure (Franz, Stephanie, p.7). Boys should be strong, tough, stable, serious (Hade, Daniel and Xu Xu, pp.3-4), and if a boy is not like that, he is unaccepted by the society.
The story of being unable to fit in the social norms and expectations is shown in Jerry Spinelli's “Wringer”. The lead character, Palmer, could always find more communication with females than males, so during the pigeon shooting, he and his friend Dorothy used to hang out together rather than watch pigeons being killed (Spinelli, Jerry, p.4). Such tenderness and empathy in his temper become a psychological obstacle for Palmer to become a wringer and find connections with other boys. He does not match the typical image of a boy, he is not strong and unemotional. However, he wants to join the gang, so he tries to hide these features in him. However. It is not easy to change one’s essence, and Palmer turns out to be strong enough not to adjust to the society’s expectations.
Overall, the issue of maturing is sensitive, especially for young boys. However, one still can appear to be strong enough to fight against the society’s expectations and respect his personality.
Works Cited
Franz, Stephanie. Gender Identity And Gender Stereotypes As Interacting Influences On Children's Adjustment. 1st ed., Miami, Proquest, 2009,.
Hade, Daniel and Xu Xu. "Lost Boys And Dead Dogs: Challenging Hegemonic American Boyhood". 2012,.
Spinelli, Jerry. Wringer. 1st ed., New York City, Harpercollins, …
