Weight Of Expectations In Literature

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As an adult, before applying to a job we are given a list of expectations for the position. This list is clear of specific expectations and allows us to determine, whether we are suitable for the job. However, an adolescent child is not provided with a clear list of expectations but are left to determine what is expected of them. Many adolescents bare weight of expectations of who they are supposed to be and this can cause negative effects, in literature such as Eleven, Zimmer in Grade School, and The Things They Carried provides concrete examples of these expectations adolescents carry. The uncertainty of expectations when ageing, as shown in Eleven by Sandra Cisneros, can be emotionally confusing on the adolescent. In the poem Eleven, the…show more content…
He was responsible for the safety of fellow soldiers, and if they did not survive he held accountability for their death. People held high expectations for Lieutenant Cross, but did not take account that he was a young man with much to learn. He was unable to show his vulnerability we expect from young adults. When Lavender died he spoke that, “… as a consequence Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war.” He felt that his expectations were to handle the emotions like “a man”, rather than feel the loss of a fellow soldier. Lieutenant Cross and his crew were expected to carry all the baggage of war, but also figure out what it means to be a man. The death of their fellow soldier was one of many traumatizing factors Lieutenant Cross and his men endured. These men had taken lives in the name of war, but also when mercy was given. This type of trauma occurred daily, and the men were unable to show weakness. Because of these expectations many soldiers resorted to drugs to cope. At time of great adversity, baring the weight of what is expected of you can be problematic when learning to handle

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