Crisis

Identity crisis

It is generally known that adolescents suffer a significant change in their transition to adulthood, their personalities and life change a lot, and in the case of the protagonists of this graphic novel this issue is relevant. Once adolescence takes places in one own’s life, crisis does as well and it is presumably because of this that many young people, like Enid and Becky in Daniel Clowes’ Ghost World (1997), react with certain attitudes and behaviors commonly noticed in teenagers in the point of becoming adults (Aramburo, 2011).  

Enid

She is aware about the crisis she and her friend are dealing with , but unlike Becky, Enid is prepared for the change. Although she does not tell Becky, this girl of glasses knows that she is going to be an adult, which has to do with different issues, such as leaving school, finding a job, going to university. She needs a change, she is not happy with herself, she hates her appearance and daily life, and she is waiting for a turnaround in her routine. A wish of changing that Becky could not understand but which Enid expresses clearly when she tells her friend “That is because you do not utterly loathe yourself” (Clowes, 1997, pág. 77)  Differently to her friend, Enid is not scared about future, she has left high school in the past and is ready to be an adult, however, her close relationship with Becky makes her think about how much can affect her decisions to her friend, to take into account that she wants to apply for a university, move on and work. Nonetheless, she does not tell Becky about her plans until the last minute.

Becky

A skinny blonde girl who does not carry out her crisis as well as her friend, she is scared about change, worried about her future without Enid, she believes that if Enid change all their friendship would have not the importance and meaning it used to. As she does not want to change, she feels she will be left behind, just like the past they shared together. Becky lives in the past and wants that everything stay like that.  She remembers every day at school and does not want that anything change, "I don't want to go anywhere or do anything... I just want it to be like it was in high school!" (Clowes, 1997, pág. 72)

Gatsby and Becky?

What can Gatsby and Becky have in common? Well, they do have a lot; both are caught in the past, both want to stay at a specific time in the past where they felt quite and comfortable. In the case of Gatsby, he wanted to recover Daisy´s love, a love which was alive just in a distant past, a past that he wanted to revive anyway. And it is clear to distinguish when he and Nick are having a crucial conversation: “You cannot repeat the past”, stated Nick, “Can’t repeat the past? … Why? of course you can!” were Gatsby’s words. (Fitzgerald, 1925, pág. 118).

On the other hand, Becky is a young girl who wants school days back, and like Jay, she lives as everything is equal to the times she remembers. Both characters are worried about a life without a person they considered relevant in their lives. In the case of Gatsby because Daisy was his only true love, and Becky finds in Enid everything she needs from a friend.

During the adolescence, teens used to feel identified with their pairs and not with people who demonstrate authority. (Aramburo, 2011) Therefore, Becky only wants to spend time with her friend since she felt comfortable with her, and expect nothing change between her and inside her own world, however, Enid is changing as the entire world is changing.

A reason for the issue that Becky feels safe with Enid can be that “The quality of the relationship that teenagers can establish with their group of friends is relevant. To the extent that individuals can identify with a group and can integrate into it will derive the corresponding benefits from the point of view of emotional support, assistance and social learning, and it is likely to be reflected in their self-esteem”. (Hendry, 2003, pág. 152) So that, Becky feels insecure without Enid friendship, she finds in their relationship the support she needs to face the life and the society. The same happens with Jay, in their adolescence, he felt secure with Daisy´s love, he believed he did not need anything else, just be with her. However, they cannot be caught in the past, they need to face real world, where they are just one person in it. Both suffered from a crisis of identity where they needed other person to tell them who they were, but they were more than a friend, more than a lover, they were people who need be recognized as that.

Moreover, this situation is common in our society, where groups of friends need the recognition of their pairs. So what can we do for avoiding this issue? Is this situation noticed by the society? It is necessary that more writers like Fitzgerald and Clowes create new stories to show the reality of a world unnoticed, to show the ghost world of thousands.  

Bibliography

Aramburo, N. U. (2011). Adolescencia y ritos de transicion. Una articulacion del psicoanalisis postfreudiano y lacaniano. Revista colombiana de Ciencias Sociales, 194.

Clowes, D. (1997). Ghost World. (pag. 72) (pag. 77). Washington: Fantagraphics.

Fitzgerald, F. S. (1925). The great gatsby. En F. S. Fitzgerald, The great gatsby (pág. 118). United state: Charles Scribner's Sons.

Hendry, J. C. (2003). The nature of adolescence. En J. C. Hendry, The nature of adolescence (pág. 152). Madrid: Morata, S. L. .