-TRH
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Wintergirls: Deep Questions
In the book Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, the character Lia's eating disorder seems to develop within the chaos of her home and family. How does Lia's anorexia seem, to her, to reduce her chaos? How does it contribute to the chaos? Besides divorce, what are some other issues that cause young adults great stress? How have you seen these issues dealt with healthily and negatively?
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I think through the facade of being in control of calorie intake and weight gain, life seems to hang suspended, and therefore suspends the reality (and chaos) of life for Lia. Stresses that can trigger teens to have emotional responses range from relationship issues with family or peers, body image issues, or engaging in dangerous unhealthy behaviors (substance abuse).
ReplyDeleteLia seems to deal with the chaos of her life by being in "control" of what she eats. She believes that she is doing the right thing because it makes her feel strong when her stomach is empty. This, of course is creating more chaos in her life for many reasons. She is stirring up emotions in family members which creates more drama in her home life. Having such an obsession with food has also taken away from her academic success. She is failing classes and lying on a regular basis to get out of situations. In the end, she is going to have to make up all these classes, probably having to repeat her year in school. Obviously, more chaos is also created by becoming so unhealthy that she is required to go to inpatient treatment.
ReplyDeleteYoung adults are surrounded by stressful situations. This is an age when so many things are new. Hormones are usually out-of-wack and people are trying to find themselves. Friendship problems, romantic relationships, low self-esteem, drugs and alcohol, death of loved ones, learning disabilities, low socio-economic status, abusive relationships, and many other types of situations can cause stress for teens. There are many negative ways teens can develop to cope with these stressful issues. Eating disorders are common, distructive behavior such as cutting, drugs and alcohol, violence towards others, and isolation are among a few of the ways these situations negatively dealt with. Most teens and people in general, feel that situations seem more manageable when talking with others. Support groups are a positive way for people to express themselves while feeling as though he or she is not alone. Sports and extra-curricular activities also help teens with difficult issues get their minds off stressful issues. Music, singing, and art are also great outlets and allow the person to express emotion in healthy ways.