Paradox In Boyhood

For boys, boyhood is an era characterized by an inability to control future events. This idea is introduced in Eric L. Tribunella’s “Boyhood” in which Tribunella analyzes the purpose of having boy literature and brings to surface the plethora of subgenres within boy literature. This chapter is included in the 2011 publication Keywords for Children’s Literature, edited by Philip Nel and Lissa Paul. Just a few years later, in 2014, Richard Linklater debuts his movie Boyhood which is about a fictional boy, Mason, growing up. By following Mason’s growth, Linklater offers commentary of how Mason is both plagued by but at points, escapes from what Tribunella refers as the “subaltern status.”(Tribunella 22) However, Tribunella ultimately fails to

One parallel that can be drawn between the two works is the depiction of the boy being incapable of asserting control over his own life. Historically speaking, the word “boy” was initially used in a contemptuous manner to refer to subaltern status of servants or slaves (Tribunella 22). If a similar definition is applied to the traits of boys then they would be described as “flawed, inchoate, or incomplete…” (Tribunella 22) To extend the idea, Tribunella goes on to suggest that there exists a “subaltern status of youth” (22). The whole notion of lower status and one of “constraint and confinement” (22) echoes throughout Linklater’s film. On a symbolic level, it is represented every time Mason is forced to travel from town to town. He is also rocked by family instabilities ever since he was a kid. An attitude of hopelessness starts to appear when Mason stops

While Tribunella does address the fact that “contemporary culture might harm or fail boys” (25) the question of not reacting to the limitations of boyhood remains unanswered. In contrast, Linklater’s film hints that time is the best cure because eventually, everyone will grow up. With it, the “subaltern status” (22) is left behind. Notably, Mason’s personality goes through a cyclical continuum.

Both Tribunella’s literary analysis and Linklater’s film provide commentary on
The film Boyhood differs from the essay “Boyhood” in part due to the works being intended for different audiences and purposes. The essence of the film is to capture, as fully as possible, the growth of the protagonist, Mason. On the other hand, the essay is meant for analysis on literature that specifically boys would read. As a result, while Tribunella focuses more on how types of literature can provide a safe haven for boys, he ignores the aspect in which boys do not escape and instead assimilate with their flaws. What Linklater showed in his film is an ability to grow up out of boyhood with