The Middle-Age Wasteland: Parental Responsibility in "Teenage Wasteland"

In Anne Tyler's "Teenage Wasteland," the reader gets an extremely in-depth view into the difficulty and significance of parenting through Daisy's desperate attempt to save her son from his seemingly out-of-control, downward spiral. Consumed and overwhelmed with the dream of making Donnie a well-behaved, intelligent kid, Daisy's actions in the story become, in many ways, desperate and hurt Donnie in the end rather than help him, eventually leading to his mysterious disappearance at the end of the story. Thus, by means of this counterexample, Tyler creates a theme illustrating the importance of keeping one's head clear and focused when parenting, showing us that using common sense and logic is often better and more effective than solely using idealism and hope.

Central to developing this theme is the character of Cal, who enters the story about halfway through as an individual who is intended give Donnie "some academic help and a better sense of self-worth;" however, as the plot unfolds, Cal appears to provide Donnie with more of an escape from school and family life than with a means to confront it head on (37). Holding meetings at his house with his other students, rather than one-on-one in a classroom or office, Cal provides Donnie and the other teenagers there with a sociable, laid-back atmosphere, complete with ping-pong, rock music, and a basketball net. Furthermore, he takes them to rock concerts, lets them hang out at his house, and gets involved in their love lives. On top of that, the tutor's attitude and speech, often making comments such as "[we'll] see if we can show that school of yours a thing or two," gives off a sense of immaturity and rebelness that appeals more to teenagers than to the parents that are getting "flutters of panic" through their chests every time they receive a bill from Cal (37, 36). Independent from the context of the plot, these factors alone seem to portray an environment not suited to develop learning skills, but rather to create an escape from that development by providing a party house and a cool adult to make the escape possible.

Therefore, to the rational, clear-minded parent, the initial observations listed above and those that Daisy observes when she first walks in Cal's door should be a clear indication that sending one's child here would not be a good idea; yet, Daisy, in her disparity to salvage what she can of a kid who "had talent, was smart, and was good with his hands" at one time or another, ignores all these warning signs and lets Cal tutor Donnie, thus, becoming blinded by the seemingly quixotic desire to correct Donnie's faults (37). In essence, her optimism overcomes her rationality and common sense and gives Daisy a mindset ignorant of Cal's fallibility or the possible danger he may present to children (i.e. child molestation, assault, etc.). As a result, she foolishly lets Cal, and indirectly, Donnie, overrun her life and control her decisions. For example, when Cal calls Daisy and discusses with her how Donnie does not like the lack of trust given to him by his parents, Daisy agrees with Cal and goes along with his accusations that they "expect the worst from him" and that they "don't understand how [not being trusted] hurts," admitting that he's right rather than supporting her reasons for finding him untrustworthy (such as his drinking and smoking habits) (38). Furthermore, this trend continues even after one of Donnie's teachers call to say that his grades are slipping to F's and after Daisy learns that some of Cal's other students have been knifed, sent to boarding school, or taken out of the program; she simply remains quiet about any qualms she may have or submits herself to the reassuring responses of Calvin. By the end of the story, when Donnie gets expelled from school from having cigarettes and beer in his locker, it appears as if it is too late to help Donnie and Daisy's now-belated, but newly discovered opposition to Cal in his defense of Donnie regarding the expulsion is almost useless. Even though they put Donnie in public school and stop the tutoring sessions, the child "gather[s] no friends, join[s] no clubs," and is "defeated and exhausted" (42). Soon after, he disappears, never to be heard of again, and the story reveals the enormous and devastating impact Daisy's quixotic, blinding hopes had on Donnie. In the end, her good intentions and change of thought are too late and she ultimately becomes a failure by the normal standards of parenting.

In conclusion, from "Teenage Wasteland," we thus learn that truly it is the parent who should have the most influence on a child and that submitting that responsibility to another can often have disastrous consequences. Thus, in the true style of Anne Tyler, this story provides valuable insight into family values and provides us with lessons for us all to learn.