Room at the Top

Beside all of the controversial issues and teaching issues, I find myself rather interested in the motif for this book, or in other words the author. I wonder what her views are on hope for young girls and her feelings of true friendship as the ending is rather depressing. Jenny’s information is very helpful as her blog contains Bathurst’s view on women and I love her idea that men and women both have their flaws, that women too can be the oppressors rather than the victims. In a website I found myself http://www.theblurb.com.au/Issue36/Special.htm a seemingly insignificant passage is discussed with Bathurst and she reveals her feelings about young women or female adolescence through it. The passage is the one in which Jules asks Ali to read them all a story, however all Ali has is a few fairytales and from past experience the reader immediately expects an outburst from the girls, a total rejection towards the book. However this does not happen, in fact Jules tells Ali to read the stories, a total surprise to all including myself. What Bathurst is saying is that while young girls live as if they are adults, they are still deep down innocent children simply trying too hard to grow up. Knowing this I no longer imagine Bella to be the crude pessimistic women I once thought she was, but simply someone who understands what it is like to be a teenager.

After reading “Special” and acknowledging the truths and real life dilemmas that arise in the text I finally ask myself, would I teach this? The answer is no, not because of the controversial context, but because there seems to be no final conclusion to grasp, no central issue to revolve discussion around. Yes every character struggles with issues that are relevant today but high school students need answers, they need characters they not only can relate to but characters that show there is a way out, a chance for happy ending. As I look through Anne’s and Sarita’s blogs I see they agree, and without surprise for very similar reasons. I like the statement Sarita makes that ties in with my thinking of a solid conclusion, her idea that there must be some sort of redemption. Yes the book allows for issues to be brought up, but the teacher also needs some textual evidence to prove that there is hope, or in Sarita’s words that the classroom isn’t all doomed.
As I ponder my own interest in the story I realize my only draw to it was its shocking context. As wrong and twisted as that may seem it is true. So when I realize that I am shocked as I read the text as a sophomore in college who has seen and or dealt with these issues in real life I know without a doubt that a 9th grader in high school would be blown away by the context. I am never one for banning books, and am not necessarily saying this book should be banned, but I am saying that the only way a book of this caliber should be used if it has the ability to chance or help teenagers in their walk of life, and “Special” does not.

“She shoved it back into her skin again and again down and down, plunging at herself. The pain was immediate, a pure, straightforward kind of hurt. It felt right. It felt better.”

How could this feel right, how does anyone become so distorted that this kind of pain begins to feel right? For Hen it does as she repeatedly is cutting herself throughout the story, it is an escape for her, a way to cope with her low self-esteem. In a website I found http://observer.guardian.co.uk/focus/story/0,6903,718183,00.html the topic of cutting is discussed and the subject hits Hen’s case right on the nose. The page talks about the fact that many young teenage girls are cutting themselves, they are looking for some sort of escape as it explains, “Adolescents have always been known to self-harm, to attack their own bodies in a cry for help and as a sign of psychological disturbance. They may become anorexic or bulimic.” Every part of this quote describes Hen in a nutshell, so the question is how doe we fix a problem such as this one? Well that is a dilemma as it is often difficult to discover a teenager who is cutting their self. On another website I found http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/cutting.html there is a list of ways in which the cutter can get help, however that means the cutter must make the decision which often does not happen. The last advice for teachers, friends, and family is to keep a close eye on any teen that seems to be having troubles, maybe they are quiet or withdrawn, maybe seeming depressed or showing signs of an eating disorder. Another key indicator is clothing. Hen often wore clothing that covered her entire body as many cutters do, in order to cover their scars. So if a teenager is wearing winter-like clothing in early June there might be a problem. In any case it is important that friends and family do their best to keep adolescents form taking their inner-conflicts too far.