by Guadalupe Bustingorri
During the adolescent stage changes appear as regards feelings and physical appearance. There is also a powerful search for personal identity and peers´ acceptance, plus the fact that sexual issues are strongly present. DANCING WITH THE DEVIL, a Texas ghost story retold by S. E. Schlosser (2010), deals with the previously mentioned matters.
This ghost story tells about a teenage girl who is eager to go to the high school dance against her mother´s wishes, since she believes that the dance was meant to be done for the Devil. Without caring about her religious mother´s refusal, the girl decides to run away in order to enjoy the grand ball. She goes wonderfully dressed so that everybody turns around to look at her for the very first time, even the handsomest guy she has even seen in her life. Finally, this good-looking man takes her to hell.
In this paper, I aim to demonstrate that DANCING WITH THE DEVIL may be appealing and perfectly suitable for young adult readers, since it might make them feel identified with its character and her behaviour towards seeking their own personal identity when thinking about their actions and feelings. Apart from that, teenagers may notice and see the changes in her appearance, which are observable in the adolescent stage.
Teenagers aspire to find their own personal identity and they seem to need the approval of their peers in order to feel they belong to a particular group. According to Professor Robert Havighurst (as cited in Koelling, 2004), teens develop identity and create healthy and useful relationships with peers. In addition to this, teen people start rejecting the authority of their parents or any adult in charge of them.
It is worth noticing at this point what Aguirre (1974) suggests, “the identity crisis has two faces: one of them is personal and individual and the other one is social. The first one is characterized by the affirmation of the ego, and the second one by the rebellion against the whole adult values system.”
As it can be seen in the following extract, the main character of DANCING WITH THE DEVIL, is determined to go to the dance. She does not really care about what her mother says about it. The girl is rejecting her mother´s opinion secretly. Apart from this, she is trying to get the approval of her peers. It is the kind of social acceptance that she has been waiting for.
“The girl was so excited about the dance. She had bought a brand new, sparkly red dress for the dance. It was going to be the best evening of her life. Then her mother came in the house, looking pale and determined…"You are not going to that dance," her mother said. The girl nodded as if she accepted her mother's words. But she was determined to go to the dance. As soon as her mother was busy, she put on her brand new red dress and ran down to the K.C. Hall where the dance was being held… As soon as she walked into the room, all the guys turned to look at her. She was startled by all the attention. Normally, no one noticed her. Her mother sometimes accused her of being too awkward to get a boyfriend.… But she was not awkward that night. The boys in her class were fighting with each other to dance with her.”
Many aspects as regards the adolescent stage are recognizable in the previous extract. To start with, in S. E. Schlosser´s retold story, the idea of self identity, authority rejection and peers´ acceptance seem to be reflected. Teenagers are able to work out their own actions in their actual lives.
Physical appearance is a key factor during adolescent stage, which is characterized by hormonal and physical changes. Teens are in a constant fight with their bodies. Basically, they compete among themselves and with their own selves. Physical attraction and sexuality awake throughout this growing period in every human´s life. Koelling (2004) states that adolescents experience wild physical changes and that there is a strong focus on relationships with the opposite sex.
In the following extract taken from DANCING WITH THE DEVIL, the previously named concerns may be seen:
“The boys in her class were fighting with each other to dance with her… When she turned, she saw a handsome man with jet black hair and clothes standing next to her. "Dance with me," he said. She managed to stammer a "yes", completely stunned by this gorgeous man”
This example allows the reader to view just from the very beginning the important role of competition. This fact is connected with physical and sexual attraction. Sometimes, teenagers not only compete in order to gain popularity, respect or acceptance, but they may compete with their looks. Going deeper in these issues, teenage readers might feel identified when seeing themselves in any similar situation.
When analyzing this story, the readers can appreciate why the adolescent stage is so complicated. Stories can serve as a great and potent mirror which reflects the actual teenagers´ situations on the fictional ones, so that young adult readers are able to enjoy the reading of the story meanwhile they are feeling characterized with the characters described in it. As G. De Vos (2003) argues, young adult readers enjoy reading about topics connected with their lives just because they might feel identified or simply because the topics are common and understandable for them.
It is possible to suggest that DANCING WITH THE DEVIL matched perfectly well with the demands of any teenage reader. Teenagers may feel tremendously identified with the feelings, actions, authority rejection and search for personal identity of the main character. In the educational field and, of course, in the classroom, students can discuss about all the issues which have been already mentioned. By reading this story, young adult readers may take advantage of the main character´s actions and decisions, basically because students might feel identified with her and, what is more important, they might start thinking about their own beliefs and values. A distinction between what is wrong and what is right may be perceived by the students. Their world-views may be also affected, reshaped or rethought considering that, in the course of the adolescent stage, teenagers are building their own system of values. Moreover, they are shaping and forming their identities and personalities inside a particular community. DANCING WITH THE DEVIL has a profound impact on adolescents because its main character is a teenage girl who goes through and deals with ordinary and understandable situations for teenagers. This story, without detours, raises and highlights the attitudes, actions and issues concerning the adolescent stage.
References
- S. E. Schlosser. (2010). Dancing with the Devil. http://a8mericanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/07/dancing_with_the_devil.html
- Koelling. (2004). Make sense of Teens as Growing People and as Readers.
- R. Havighurst. (2004). Make sense of Teens as Growing People and as Readers.
- G. De Vos. (2003). Storytelling and the Young Adult.
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