Literature has always been a weapon to denounce with a stark and pure vision of the world the weaknesses of society. Literature has already explored the relationship between adults and children and its possible destructiveness. Indeed interpersonal interactions are mostly significant in the developmental stage of life with peers, parents and teachers and are greatly influenced by the environment such as the people you interact with and the education you receive. The purpose of this essay is to analyse the main relationship between adults and children and its impact on adult life described in three famous Anglo-Irish stories: The Poteen Maker by Michael McLaverty, The Visitor by Maeve Brennan and How Many Miles to Babylon by Jennifer Jonhston.
[...] Regarding education she only went one year at the convent and she hardly had any friends. The real tragedy in Babylon is about parents who do not get along at all and the effects on the life of the child. Besides, the relationship linking him with his parents is even harder because they are from a high rank in society and the child has to respect certain norms like not hang out with people from inferior rank like Jerry. Moreover the environment makes it also uneasy to live in. [...]
[...] On the other hand, the narrator understands his mother is getting more and more upset about him and his relationship with his father. In fact she is thin shell covering some black burning rage”. They are mutually not able to understand each other. We can really wonder whether she really loves her son or not. She is very selfish, using him against his father and manipulating him. The influence / outcome Depending on the intensity of the relationship linking the different characters, there are different outcomes. [...]
[...] A personal connection is created between the little boy and the teacher when the latter gives him some money to buy sweets. Master Craig is acting like a kind of tutor for the little boy. We also know that Master Craig is greatly appreciated by his class: smiled because he smiled”. The children do not get the whole situation by contrast to the population of the village. The fact that our narrator “could never understand” why the village is gossiping about Master Craig is probably touching us more because it is coming from the innocent eyes of a little boy. [...]
[...] Children that do not meet the adults' expectations are very unhappy. By all the tragedy, the children see themselves growing into adults themselves. Childhood is therefore seen as a critical time of transformation and a crisis of identity. The relationship between adults and children is also concerned with the fragility and the innocence of children in general. Adults must act as guides and not as destructors of dream. It can also be said that the three stories provide us with a [...]
[...] Regarding Babylon, in the first part of the novel, Mrs Johnston focuses on Alexander and his feelings towards the unbearable situation between his parents and his way out with his friend Jerry. On the one side, the relationship unifying himself with his mother is clearly deteriorating along the story. The mother is very jealous and possessive towards her son. The worst thing for her is to assist to his transformation becoming bad his father. Therefore, two times, she tries to move away Alexander from her husband. [...]
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