A recent review of “Roxy” would appear to be suggesting that the subject of teen pregnancy is inappropriate for young adults. The reviewer wrote: “…the heart-warming ending is based on something which is wrong.”
Wrong? Hmm. Gee. How on earth can tears, or a warm heart, be wrong? Oh, before I go on, I should report that the reviewer appeared to sincerely like most of the book:
“It’s a good story – I was very keen to keep turning the pages to find out how things would work out and how the mysteries of Roxy and Maddy’s lives would unravel. There’s a great sense of place too – I swear I could smell the herb fields in Corfu and…” Etc.
In other words, some of life’s problems – teen sex, pregnancy, young motherhood – though valid themes for adults, are too hot for teens. Oh, yes, the reviewer also added that, “Alcohol and pregnancy shouldn’t mix, even in fiction.” Never mind that Roxy, never consumed any alcohol in the story, “…she would have drunk it if she’d liked it,” the reviewer reckoned.
Okay, you get the picture. It’s Roxy vs political correctness. Those of you who know me are bracing for a rant – but no – today I’m leaving my rebuttal in the hands of another writer more talented by far. Colin Higgins.
Higgins wrote that delightfully irreverent little story called “Harold and Maude” which showed up on the big screen in 1978. It’s the story of a romance between a 19 year old boy and an 80 year old woman. He finds her a bit wild, and tells her so. She replies, sweetly.
I think Roxy can fairly be credited for making a lot of good things happen for her damaged family. Her desire to raise a healthy child is not the least of those good deeds.
I often see political correctness as an attempt to cover up an awkward truth – and it troubles me that young people are in danger of falling into denial of the human condition. But it’s a writer’s duty to speak the truth, don’t you think? And by doing so, remain as human as possible.
“Oh, Harold,” she sighed, stroking his hair. “You are so young. What have they taught you?” She brushed away the tears that fell down her cheeks. “Yes. I cry. I cry for you. I cry for this. I cry at beauty – a sunset or a seagull. I cry when a man tortures his brother…when he repents and begs for forgiveness…when forgiveness is refused…and when it is granted. One laughs. One cries. Two uniquely human traits. And the main thing in life, my dear Harold, is not to be afraid to be human.”
Tags: Being human, Harold and Maude
I love Harold and Maude. How terrible, and how beautiful, to be human. The human condition is such a fragile kind of existence.
Roxy is a beautiful, fragile human being. She is surrounded by other beautiful, fragile humans — her mother, her grandfather, and all those Greeks. It is good to examine one’s humanity, and good to admit one’s fragility. For me, Roxy is a character who embraces her humanity. Would that her critics could do the same!
Pshaw! I really don’t understand where such critics are coming from. Did you intend to hold up an unmarried 17 year old pregnant girl as a role model for other young teens? Roxy is tormented and conflicted by the fact she’s pregnant sans a mate. The shallow moralizing of critics who see such a portrayal as somehow ‘wrong’ boggles the mind. It is either fear based and neurotic or it is covert hostility disguised as overt rectitude. In either case, it doth but miss the point entirely, which is the essential goodness of Roxy’s heart and her willingness to go the distance to find a healing resolution with her grandfather. Political correctness is a euphemism for the kind of judgmental self-righteousness that makes enemies faster than it can condemn them.
Yes, thanks Tashi… What I keep coming back to is…the refusal on the part of many otherwise compassionate people to be compassionate towards the human condition. As long as we imagine that humans can and should be perfect, then there will always be moralizing.
But if we see life as a wonderfully hazardous situation, one that is too complex to ever control… then we’ll be more gentle on ourselves. We cannot ever know what will ultimately prove ‘right’. Ongoing cause and effect continues to mock our best decisions.
The best stories, I think, are those that reveal people succeeding on one level and failing on another, or the other way around. To see Roxy’s summer in Greece as a moral failure is to miss -(or what’s worse, refuse to acknowledge) the magic and grace that ensues from living truly and heartfully.
As a (Retired) high school librarian I have to say pregnancy absolutely has its place in teen fiction, no question about it. Along with alcohal and drug abuse,eating disorders,abusive families, death, rape, mental illness… the whole gamut of real life issues that teens worry about, that fiction allows them the freedom to explore.
Fine words PJ: “grace that ensues from living truly and heartfully”.
That rss feature on your site here is impressive, you should tell more folks about it in your upcoming post. I haven’t noted it for the first couple of times, now I’m using it each morning to check on any updates. I’m on a real slow dial-up link in Kentucky and it’s rather discouraging to sit there and wait for such a long time ’til the page loads… but hey, I just found your rss page and added it to the Google Reader and voil? – I’m always up-to-date! Well pal, keep up the good work and make that rss button a little bigger so that other people can enjoy that as well