Anne Tyler\'s Short Story \"Teenage

Anne Tyler's short story "Teenage Wasteland" describes a mother's battles with her teenage son. Daisy grows worried when her son Donny begins having trouble at school. At first, Daisy tries diligently helping Donny with his homework. When his grades improve only nominally she takes Donny to a recommended "tutor" named Cal. Far from being an actual academic tutor, Cal facilitates Donny's decent into "teenage wasteland." Donny is expelled from private school and placed in a public school before he ultimately runs away and is never heard from again. The tragic story is told in the third person, but the narrator is not omniscient. Rather, the story is told from the point-of-view of Daisy. Telling the story from Daisy's point-of-view becomes a critical literary element, facilitating themes of parental control and loss.

One way Daisy's point-of-view facilitates the progression of the story is by affecting its tone. The story begins with a mother's wistful description of her son, describing how his hair changed from being "almost white" to being darker and "past his collar," (Paragraph 1). Change is one of the core themes of "Teenage Wasteland," as the adolescent years are portrayed as the most difficult time in a person's life. Daisy notes that she herself had a difficult childhood and therefore she understands what her son is going through. The sad tone that begins the story permeates it, as Daisy's perspective of teenage angst is one of an outsider looking in. Especially as the story ends with Donny disappearing, Daisy's point-of-view is crucial. The story becomes more about a mother's loss of her son. If "Teenage Wasteland" was told from Donny's point-of-view it would be an entirely different tale.

Daisy is never called "Donny's mother." Rather, she remains Daisy throughout the story, proving that Anne Tyler intends to keep Daisy's point-of-view central to the story. Donny's problems are discussed squarely through Daisy's perspective. The reader is never privy to how Donny feels, and only sees what he does through his mother's eyes. Interestingly, the reader can sense what Donny might be experiencing. He is instinctually rebellious, resenting the restrictions on his life that school and curfews pose. Donny takes well to Cal because of Cal's permissive attitude. Anytime Daisy confronts Donny with a problem, Donny reacts with irritability and anger. The reader also becomes frustrated, as Daisy does everything she possibly can from showering Donny with love and praise to taking a more hands-off approach.

Cal's role becomes one of the more poignant aspects of "Teenage Wasteland." Because Donny's dad is only mentioned once or twice in the story, it is apparent that Cal acts as a sort of surrogate father or older brother. Daisy does not comment on her husband's lack of presence in Donny's life. She does not speculate as to how her husband Matt might be able to help Donny. The omission of Matt from the story and the inclusion of Cal are important from Daisy's point-of-view.