The Effects of a Teenage Wasteland

Anne Tyler’s “Teenage Wasteland” is a story about a modern day family of four and the relationship issues they experienced with each other. The story is presented in third person limited; however, the reader is shown much about how the mother of the family feels and the troubles she experiences in her relationships with her husband and children, primarily her son Donny. Daisy is portrayed as a mother who worries that she had failed Donny because of his continual disobedience toward the authority figures in his life. Donny is a teen who constantly misbehaves in school and in the story is described as “noisy, lazy, and disruptive; always fooling around with his friends, and would not respond in class.” (188). These behaviors lead Donny to poor grades in school. Daisy takes Donny to a tutor who is supposed to help Donny improve his grades and make better choices in life. The tutor turns out to own a “teenage wasteland” as referred to in the story that was a place that “teenage hoodlums” hang out. Donny starts to get worse in school and eventually gets kicked out. After Donny gets kicked out of school, he leaves his hometown and his whereabouts become unknown. Daisy is left in shock, wondering where she went wrong in young Donny’s life.

There are certain parenting values that are very important to the stability and effectiveness of a family. These important values include parents being able to communicate effectively with their children, being patient, and consistently disciplining the child. Communication between a parent and child should be a daily routine. Ask the child how he or she is doing in school, or how the child is feeling. In “Teenage Wasteland”, Daisy’s low confidence disables her to communicate with Donny. Daisy is so...

... middle of paper ...

... The fight to have a perfect family relationship could have been avoided if the parents would have been changed their values. Today, many families bonds are loose because many parents fail to do their part. Parents must learn how to solve the problems in their relationship with their child. Communication, patience, and consistency are great standards for a parent to have.

Work Cited Page

Burden, Linnett Myers. “Teenage Wasteland.” Atlantic Monthly (10727825) 304.3 (2009): 26-28. Literary Reference Center. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

Rhynes, Martha E. “Anne Tyler.” Critical Survey of Short Fiction, Second Revised Edition (2001): 1-4. Literary Reference Center. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

Tyler, Anne. “Teenage Wasteland.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12th ed. New York: Pearson, 2013. 189-95. Print.