soliloquy

Sag Harbor : The Importance of a Coming-of Age Novel about Race by Linden           Over this semester, we have read many iconic coming-of-age novels. We read The Catcher in the Rye , a classic said to fully encompass the adolescent experience. Holden Caufield took a position as the underdog denouncing the status quo. But many criticize how sheltered he is as a wealthy, white, young man with his life ahead of him. Through his insulated bubble, racial minorities are often not even considered (or just in the peripheral, described stereotypically). His manifesto may ring hollow to those not included in his small world of privilege.  The Bell Jar  was another staple coming of age novel. Similarly, Ester Greenwood makes a compelling statement about how gender and mental health is stigmatized. However, she too has her share of cringeworthy moments of racism and homophobia. There is one scene where she describes a black nurse exclusively as "The Negro," ...