Effect of Horror Fiction on the Teen’s Psychological Wellbeing

The Impact of Contemporary Literature on Teenagers

The substance of literature books and novels can have a significant impact on young people's psychological well-being. Meghan Cox Gurdon shows how unlawful novel content can expose kids to violence, depravity, and explicit abuse in his article, Darkness Too Visible. The author highlights the story of Cathy Freeman, a 46-year-old mother, in the piece. She visits a bookstore's young-adult section but is dismayed by what she sees. With the majority of the literature being on "vampires and suicide and self-mutilation, terrible, nasty stuff," she departs the bookstore empty-handed. This scenario exposes the reader to be aware of the fact that the contents of teenage books have changed over the years from an educative perspective to more destructive information. By analyzing the novel, Go Ask Alice, from Gurdon's perspective, it is imperative to deduce that the contemporary literature content affect the psychological wellbeing of teens.

The Story of Go Ask Alice

Go Ask Alice is a novel narrating the experience of a 15-years old Alice who writes her daily experience in her personal diary. In her adolescent stage, she makes adjustments to keep attractive to her crush, Roger. She tries to lose weight, get embarrassed of her changing sexuality, and become uncomfortable at school. When she relocates to a new town, she makes new friend, Beth, who leaves later for summer camp. When she reunites with Jill, she is introduced to drug abuse. At first she takes LSD, but later she adjusts to other forms of drugs including marijuana and cocaine. This exposure results in her losing her virginity at a tender age which affects her interaction with her male friend, Joel. The story ends painfully when Alice loses her life as a result of drug overdose. The incidents in the novel assures the reader that the fictitious incidents can affect a teen reader who tries to identify herself or himself with the characters.

The Cognitive and Emotional Impact of Novels on Teens

A key impact of novel story line is the possible influence of the cognitive and emotional development of a teen. According to Gurdon, although exposure to horrific topics like murder and cheats does not necessarily mean that youths will be influenced, these contents have a cognitive impact on their development. The author states, "It has to do with a child's happiness, moral development and tenderness of heart. Entertainment does not merely gratify taste, after all, but creates it" (Gurdon para. 6). The author asserts that the contemporary novels spend most of the time addressing ugliness of the society and this influences the perception of youths who tend to believe that this is the trend.

The Influence of Drug Descriptions on Teenagers

The author's assertion is agreeable since youths are easily influenced by the knowledge and information they get. In the novel, Alice describes the satisfaction she received while using drugs. As they embarked on a trip with Jill and Bill, she vividly narrates how she felt after taking marijuana. She explained that for the first time she could speak the language of Adam and Even although she slipped while grasping words. In her diary, she narrates in July 10th, "For the first time that I could remember in my whole life, I was completely uninhibited. I was dancing before the whole group, performing, showing off, and enjoying every second of it" (Sparks 45). Alice felt good while taking coke and LSD. As such, she describes the satisfaction she got from the drugs; she gained her confidence and self-esteem that she had lost a very long time. Such narration can greatly impact a teen's wellbeing. Since they learn how drugs are regarded with great admiration, they will be willing to try out the drugs to have the same effect. This may apply greatly to vulnerable teens that at the time may be facing social challenges such as bullying, social exclusion, and antisocial disorder.

The Lack of Moral Lessons in Horror Novels

Most of the horrific stories have sad endings and as such, prevents moral values and lessons that could be learned by the youths. This concept is clearly outlined by Gurdon who gives examples of various novels written in the past that have had horrific endings, thus, hindering any form of value obtained by the readers. According to Gurdon, one of the teen novelists, Robert Cormier who had written "I Am the Cheese" described a traumatized teen who witnessed them murder of his parents, but in the end, there was an unhappy ending. Similarly, "The Marbury Lens" by Andrew Smith also has a sad ending. The protagonist, Jack is abducted, drugged, and raped by his kidnapper. Even after escaping, there is no hope instilled in the boy. Gurdon claims, "Moments after arriving he finds himself facing a wall of horrors, "covered with impaled heads and other dripping, black-rot body parts: hands, hearts, feet, ears, penises. Where the f— was this?" No happy ending to this one, either" (Gurdon para. 10). The author makes it evident that most of the horrific novels do not have encouraging or motivating ending that might challenge teens towards adopting better lifestyles.

The Lack of Moral Lessons in Go Ask Alice

The sad ending of the contemporary teen novels can also be observed in Go Ask Alice. Although Alice's story informs the reader of the possible repercussions of drug use and wrong friends, it does not end with a lesson or precautionary measure that readers can relate to. Alice struggles many times to get away from bad company in order to stop the use of drugs. However, in the end, readers are informed that she dies after reuniting with her family. In the epilogue, the author highlights, "Was it an accidental overdose? A premeditated overdose? No one knows, and in some ways that question isn't important. What must be of concern is that she died, and that she was only one of thousands of drug deaths that year" (Sparks epilogue). It is clear that Alice dies after she is discharged from the Asylum and gets a new group of friends like Fawn who were considered "clean" in the society. However, she still ends up dead as a result of drug use. As such, readers are not able to grasp any lessons or moral values in the story. This does not improve their lives as far as drug abuse is concerned.