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Flipped by Van Draanen
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From: AlwaysErin at aol.com <AlwaysErin>
Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2003 14:13:20 EST
I apologize; this isn't a response to the most recent question posted about coming of age, but it's fresh on my mind and I wanted to share it while I was thinking about it.
I'm reading FLIPPED, by Wendelin Van Draanen. The title refers most obviously to the feelings the two protagonists (speaking first person in alternating chapters) have about each other--it starts with Juli having a crush on Bryce, and as she learns more about him, she likes him less and less; he starts by fleeing from her, afraid of the power of her energy and emotions, and then begins liking her more and more.
However, I think there's a coming of age statement in the title, too. Van Draanen illustrates so wonderfully what I think is a crucial part of coming of age: Opening up one's perspective, realizing others have a point of view, seeing yourself more from the outside, and so forth. Flipping perspective from entirely internal to external, and then finding a way to marry the two.
Quick examples from the text of FLIPPED:
Juli: "...I felt as though someone was watching me. I was so spooked I even got up and checked out the window and in the closet and under the bed, but still the feeling didn't go away.
"It took me until nearly midnight to understand what it was.
"It was me. Watching me."
Bryce: "...There was something spinning out of control inside this house. It was like seeing inside the Bakers' world had opened up windows into our own, and the view was not a pretty one.
"Where had all this stuff come from?
"And why hadn't I ever seen it before."
This time of widening perspective is difficult; often we see things that are unpleasant. But it also then forces us to redefine our view of ourselves (and our loved ones, among other things) in a stronger, more carefully thought-out way, which seems to me to be a key component of coming of age.
I'd be interested in other examples of this aspect of our topic for this month. (Perhaps this does dovetail, after all, with Nancy's question about changing aspects of childhood and Megan's questions about younger protagonists--it's
very possible that widening perspective is common in younger stories.)
All best, Erin Murphy
Received on Sat 15 Nov 2003 01:13:20 PM CST
Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2003 14:13:20 EST
I apologize; this isn't a response to the most recent question posted about coming of age, but it's fresh on my mind and I wanted to share it while I was thinking about it.
I'm reading FLIPPED, by Wendelin Van Draanen. The title refers most obviously to the feelings the two protagonists (speaking first person in alternating chapters) have about each other--it starts with Juli having a crush on Bryce, and as she learns more about him, she likes him less and less; he starts by fleeing from her, afraid of the power of her energy and emotions, and then begins liking her more and more.
However, I think there's a coming of age statement in the title, too. Van Draanen illustrates so wonderfully what I think is a crucial part of coming of age: Opening up one's perspective, realizing others have a point of view, seeing yourself more from the outside, and so forth. Flipping perspective from entirely internal to external, and then finding a way to marry the two.
Quick examples from the text of FLIPPED:
Juli: "...I felt as though someone was watching me. I was so spooked I even got up and checked out the window and in the closet and under the bed, but still the feeling didn't go away.
"It took me until nearly midnight to understand what it was.
"It was me. Watching me."
Bryce: "...There was something spinning out of control inside this house. It was like seeing inside the Bakers' world had opened up windows into our own, and the view was not a pretty one.
"Where had all this stuff come from?
"And why hadn't I ever seen it before."
This time of widening perspective is difficult; often we see things that are unpleasant. But it also then forces us to redefine our view of ourselves (and our loved ones, among other things) in a stronger, more carefully thought-out way, which seems to me to be a key component of coming of age.
I'd be interested in other examples of this aspect of our topic for this month. (Perhaps this does dovetail, after all, with Nancy's question about changing aspects of childhood and Megan's questions about younger protagonists--it's
very possible that widening perspective is common in younger stories.)
All best, Erin Murphy
Received on Sat 15 Nov 2003 01:13:20 PM CST
