Happy Endings in YA and Literature: Response 5

Response 5: Happy Endings in YA and Literature

            I have been reading an overwhelmingly sad novel called A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. It centers on a young man who went through years of physical and sexual abuse, and while I haven’t finished it yet, I don’t see it having the “oh good, he made it” type of ending that most readers want. In fact, I predict the ending will send me into a gulf of sorrow for a short time. Nevertheless, this novel has made me start wondering if young adult literature treats realism justly, or if young adult literature just gives us the ending we want. On the flip side, I wonder if writers that use sadness as a vehicle to attract readers are just selling out in the name of sensationalist, sentimentalism. Regardless of sellouts, ugly literature has a place in literature and it has an important role to play in classrooms.

            Many of the books we read this semester focused on the troubles and pain of adolescents. It comes off as being wrong when spoken out of context, but ugliness in literature is necessary.  According to Linda Holmes of NPR, “Ugliness—honesty about ugliness—is important, because it gives shape and meaning to some important stories about not allowing it to swamp you. For kids who already experience difficult things, it seems like straightforwardly acknowledging that these things exist and hurt.” By not acknowledging the trials that some students go through on a daily basis, we are doing them a disservice.

It can be powerful for them to see that other students may be going through the same troubles. Furthermore, students who are not going through similar pains should understand what some of their peers may be dealing with. Of course, some will push back on having controversial issues in schools. However, we should not worry about the negative effects of discomfort or pain in young adult literature. Holmes considers bullying in Eleanor and Park writing, “Hearing bullies torment Eleanor by talking about her breasts won’t make them think that’s what they should do. They will not want to emulate Eleanor’s bullies anymore than they want to emulate the worst tendencies they see in Lord of the Flies.” Claiming that students who read literature with serious, controversial, or painful themes will act on these negativities is misinformed. We cannot avoid controversial literature because of people who overact to significant themes.

            The novel Eleanor and Park focuses on dark, often sad themes of abuse, isolation, and bullying. The abuse in the novel is not always facing the reader head on, but its presence is felt throughout the novel, and that is a strength. It is always looming over the characters, and eventually the abuse blows up into the characters faces. When park has to get Eleanor out of her home, the reader is feeling the same fear that many students feel when they go home. The questionable part is whether it is appropriate for Eleanor to make it out. Sadly, most students who suffer from abuse won’t be so lucky. Are we giving students some kind of false hope?  An expert reader may see that Eleanor’s escape is wishful thinking, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. Nor does it mean that students will start running away when they get into trouble. It simply gives an honest look into a troubled family, without the painful, real ending. Literature emulates life. That doesn’t mean it needs to imitate life’s often sad tones all the way through. There is a thin line between sensationalist and an escape, and writers need to find that divide.

            Similarly, the ending of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Universe gives readers a false sense of happiness. Ari and Dante both come to terms with their love for one another, and they decide to be with each other, presumably for a long time. The ending is problematic because on one hand it gives gay students an outlet. It shows them that despite the horrible things that happen to the gay community, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Once again though, is this a false hope? As we’ve seen, gay people still have very real problems. Students especially are under pressure to discover who they are. Add coming out, students could have potentially have a major social dilemma to deal with, perhaps the biggest of their life. We still have not moved to a society that welcomes all people, despite what progressives may say. Benjamin Sáez gives us a very plushy ending writing, “I took Dante’s hand and held it. How could I have ever been ashamed of loving Dante Quintana?” (359). However, there is real reason for Ari to be hesitant to love Dante. In the novel, gay people are beat because they kiss. In real life, people are being shot because of their sexual preferences. There is real reason to be scared of the ugliness. It is irrefutable that Ari and Dante will have to deal with bigotry one day. Sáez left it up to the reader to decide what would happen to the pair. An expert reader would be able to see the ugliness they will have to experience again. Will our students? I’m not sure that is clear, but it is worth exposing them to the honestly ugly literature. The ugliness is what will help them survive, sentimentalism or not.  

            Painful literature is important. It helps us understand both the happiness and hurt people experience. Literature opens a window into worlds most of us will never know. This discomfort will help students grow. However, while the happy endings are acceptable for young adult fiction, the same rules do not apply to literature. There needs to be more to the ending than giving the audience what they want. Young adults may not be able to comprehend that, so it is our jobs as teachers to expose them to just enough of the ugliness so that they are prepared to take on the pressures they face in the future.    

Works Cited

Holmes, Linda. "True Love, Book Fights, And Why Ugly Stories Matter." NPR. NPR. Web. 22 June 2016.

Rowell, Rainbow. Eleanor and Park. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2013. Print

Sherman, Alexie. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. New York: Little Brown Company, 2008. Print.