Initiation into adulthood is an event in which every human being participates. The initiation process helps adolescents grow and mature into reasonable adults, and it is the basis of many artists’ paintings, songs, and written stories. A few notable works about the orientation into adulthood are Junot Diaz’s essay called “They Money”, Lynda Barry’s essay “The Sanctuary of School”, and finally John Updike’s story titled “A&P.” All three of these stories provide a glimpse into the path to adulthood. First of all, Diaz’s “The Money” speaks of a teenager who lives in a home where money is scarce. He says “She chipped dollars off from the cash Papi gave her for our daily expenses, forced our already broke family to live even broker” (Diaz 912). …show more content…
One morning the girl awakes in a panic, thinking she is going to be late for school. She gets herself dressed and quietly slips out of the house undetected by anyone. She is in a panic to get to school. Barry writes, “All I knew was a feeling of panic, like the panic that strikes kids when they realize they are lost” (Barry 857). However, this little girl is not lost. The only place she feels safe and wanted is at school. Once she arrives at the school she helps the janitor with his morning routine. Then her teacher arrives, and the girl runs to the teacher crying and looking for comfort. There are many broken families in this country, which forces some children into adulthood much sooner than they should be. A parents’ role is to care for and pave the path into adulthood for their children. In Barry’s work, the young girl’s parents are not there for her. Therefore, she looks to her teachers and school “family” for that guidance. Barry’s narrative alludes to a decline in family values as well as the removal of the safe haven that school might be for a large number of children, which seems to be the pervading theme of the