Children Vs Authority Research Paper

Children vs. Authority: Rebellious Attitudes to Avoid Societal Expectations Children 's literature has an extremely influential way of shaping a child’s outlook on life. When children read stories, they often relate to the characters on a very personal level, whether the character is polite and kind or rude and bratty. The plots of children’s stories can influence generations of children in negative and positive ways. For over one hundred years, one of these influential texts is still J.M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy, which originated as a play. The main character, Peter Pan, is a boy who lives in Neverland and refuses to grow up. He lives by his own rules, with no parental guidance to help him learn right from wrong. The same concept is depicted in Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. Harriet, an
As an eleven year old girl, expectations for Harriet are extremely high. As a young lady, you must have manners and be polite, always listen to authority and follow the rules, as well as respecting elders. Harriet is the complete opposite of how a normal girl growing up should act, mainly with adult figures. In particular, Harriet’s parents are frequently disrespected, telling them she’ll be “damned” if she goes to dance school. This is evident from Harriets ‘tomboyish’ behaviour as she refuses to change her habits and her clothing choices, resulting in a complete lack of femininity. Harriet is comfortable in her own skin, which is a wonderful thing to be as a child, however, authority figures such as her parents or school teachers want Harriet to conform to society as she matures. Harriet eventually learns to cope with the idea of being a young lady, although not to a societal extent. Unlike Peter Pan, Harriet conforms just enough to please her friends at school and in the process realizes the detrimental effects of her actions on