Growing up is inevitable and it is a process individual to each
person. When examining the process of maturation during different time
periods, among different people, and within different cultures, various
parallels as well as disparities are made apparent. The encounters that
are had as a child, unique to our situations and surroundings, foster the
sequence of events that help us to mature. This culminates to the
transition from childhood to adolescence and eventually adulthood.
Somewhere in this sea of change, a loss of innocence takes place. This
could potentially be characterized by spiritual growth, the exposure to adult
experiences, or the succumbing of one's carefree childhood to society's
expectations. Both Spalding Gray’s monologue, “Sex and Death ‘Till the
Age of 14,” and Cat Stevens’ song, “Child for a Day,” express their own
judgments regarding the loss of innocence. Through the use of fundamental
literary devices as well as key examples from the text, both authors clearly
demonstrate how the loss of one’s childhood innocence at the hands of
experience is an inherent part of coming of age and is greatly related to the
influence on society.
In “Sex and Death ‘Till the Age of 14,” the reader is astonished
when learning of Spalding Gray’s escapades with sex and his numerous encounters
with death as a child. He uses strong descriptions and vivid imagery
describing the scenes from his youth to demonstrate his story about the
experiences of a young boy and the loss of innocence due to the expectations of
those around him. For example as he describes his experiences with Julie
Brooks, he writes “...I can only describe as an angel--very full lips, olive
skin, long brown hair,”(page 21). As he vividly describes much of his
monologue in this manner, the reader can envision his experiences and identify
with his coming of age. As he is exposed to new things the reader is as
well. Therefore, when he must repress his desires and his habits because
many do not view them as appropriate, the sense of defeat at the conclusion is
felt stronger.
Although his monologue progresses from when he is young to when
he is in his teens, one would not say that the author utilizes chronological
order. Although all of the events transpire in an order that makes sense
with time, there is no system as to how he discusses each specific situation.
It is almost as if the author contemplated one event and that one event
led to the subsequent thoughts of the remainder of the monologue. The
chronological order seems to occur by default rather than intention.
Regardless of the manner in which he employs it, the ordering of his work adds
ironic comic relief to subjects and events which one would usually think of as
grave. As his descriptions evolve from deceased pets, to invalids, and
then digress to include discovering the female sex, one cannot help but find
humor in the eceentricities of Gray’s life. There is also a great
non-chalance about his writing which gives the sense that Gray is actually
conversing with the reader and allows him to maintain a stream of consciousness.
His choice of language also helps to create this sense of familiarity.
Since his memories are as a child, he tells his story in a childlike manner.
His basic language and use of vernacular further enhance the simplicity of the
story. The words which he utilizes are relatively simple which affirms
the mood which Gray attempts to create. Like his plot development, the
author has an almost haphazard way of developing his characters. The same
way he dances around topics, he jumps around various characters allowing the
reader to truly become the mind of an adolescent boy in terms of what qualities
and characterisitics he believes are noteworthy. This can be seen in the
fragments of some of his characters, such as his friends, or the inclusion of
negligible ones such as his aunt and uncle. This reinforces the sense of
spontaneity and intimacy that is characteristic of Gray’s work.
The setting complements Gray’s theme and tone. His story
about a young, average boy takes place, appropriately, in a small, average
town. It makes the events and the plot imaginable for the reader.
Having the story take place in the 1950’s, a time which is often stereotyped as
being conservative and inhibited, makes the issues the character has to endure
that much more credible. Society’s lack of toleration for a sexually
developing young boy would be characteristic of the time for the reader.
The setting and time give us further sense of repression and restraint.
Many might also view the 1950’s as a time of innocence. While modern life
is filled with stress, corruption, sex, and drugs, the 1950’s are often
associated with young, clean, almost carefree times. This supports one of
the key themes.
His use of literary elements further enhance Gray’s message to
the reader. Through the story of his youth, Gray teaches about his
promiscuity and how he eventually was forced to suppress many of his desires
because they were not appropriate. While others are aghast by some of his
immoral behaviors, he perceives them as perfectly acceptable. It is when
he realizes that he must repress his desires and some of his stranger
tendencies because they are not considered appropriate, that Gray experiences
his loss of innocence. It is almost difficult for the reader to
comprehend that the loss of innocence for Gray is not his sexual experiences
with other boys and girls or the numerous deaths of his pets, but rather the
comprehension that this is not appropriate. Gray must come to terms with
the fact that life is not a free for all and living by what is acceptable and
unacceptable makes it impossible to live a carefree life.
One of the first indications of this is when his father attempts to talk to him
about sex on one of their outings to the golf course. After having sexual
relations with a girl his age and noting to her that he wanted to have sex with
her, Gray becomes extremely anxious at the thought of being caught by an adult.
In his head he recollects a situation from earlier, “Also Reverend Quigley’s
wife had seen Julie and me wrestling in the backyard...and said that people our
age do not wrestle...it was a rule in our neighborhood...I tried to relived him
by saying, ‘I won’t do it.” (page 14) This proves how an incident which he
considered a harmless part of his life was extremely controversial and
unwelcome by his superiors. He was forced to say that he would not have
sex and submit to their standards of what was appropriate for a young boy.
The most significant example of this submission is the conclusion
of the monologue. After exhibiting clear behavioral problems in his
schooling, his parents arrange for him to attend a preparatory school.
After misbehaving at his first interview, in his second interview he says, “I’ll
buckle down,” (page 31) numerous times. This shows his true resolution to
abandon his ways, and reform to what others ask of him. This instance
represents his true loss of innocence. Regardless of whether he desires
to give up many of his tendencies, he agrees to based on the expectations posed
to him by society. As a direct result of where he lives as well as the
people in his life, Gray faces a loss of innocence due to others’ expectations
of him.
Like Gray’s monologue, As Stevens’ opens the first stanza of, “Child
for a Day,” the reader is filled with the visions of youth. With
his key use of metaphors and symbolism, he enables the reader to make positive
associations with childhood. Using words such as, “sunshine,” “smiles,”
and, “morning,” he depicts a happy, bright scene and evokes a sense of hope and
optimism. Like Gray, through Stevens’ application of imagery,
specifically in this stanza, he allows the reader to envision a young child
riding on his bicycle in a small, safe neighborhood. As the boy glides
down streets which he knows the same way he is familiar with his own home, the
reader can picture him lifting off his hands from the handle bars and raising
his head up to the sun in glee. This scene evokes an intense feeling of
carefree living as a child. This parallels with Gray’s life as a child as
well. With the line of the chorus, “We were the children of yesterday,”
Stevens’ creates a great sense of nostalgic reminiscence of childhood.
Using some of the same techniques as Gray, there is a strong tone of
familiarity which he creates between himself and the reader. It
allows his audience to identify with his message.
Yet, as the song progresses to the second stanza the tone changes
dramatically. Stevens’ imagery, again, creates a vision for the reader
but, this time, a dismal one. He uses blatantly negative words to create
this idea of the adult’s morbid acception of defeat at living. As he
writes, “We are the men who worry of nothing/We are the men who fight without
aim,” the words “fight” and “worry” stick out to the reader as cynical words.
Stevens points out that people were born into the world capable of not only
releasing themselves from troubles but also not becoming involved in them in
the first place. He argues that this ability that one had as a child to
let go and enjoy oneself is lost in adulthood. He describes adults as worrying,
not over a specific issue, but for the sake of worrying. They grow to
associate everything in their life as a stress or a problem. Eventually,
there reaches a point where everything has become a stress there is nothing
left in one’s life to be able to relax and enjoy. He also points
out the competitiveness of adults and that they are aggressive and quarrel for
unjustifiable reasons. They are not in pursuit of any worthwhile if not
real goal. Again, he depicts an adult who fights for the sake of fighting
instead of for resolution. This contrasts with the optimism and carefree
mentality of the child in the first stanza and shows the loss of innocent fun.
While Gray depicts the initial defeat at carefree living, Stevens shows the
endless cycle of despair that results from further submission.
Stevens continues, “We listen to no one, yet speak of our
wisdom/We are the pawns in the game.” While he describes a child in the
first stanza, eager to learn and blossom, here he presents adults who are
convinced that, regardless of others, they are correct. Adults refuse to
acknowledge differing opinions and, instead, boast about their own superior
knowledge. While in the first stanza he describes children as actively
living their own lives and immersing themselves in experience, he uses the
analogy of a game to describe the manner in which an adult exists.
Instead of making one’s own decisions and pursuing one’s own goals, Stevens
contends that adults simply acquiesce their dreams, their motivation, and their
childhood optimism and allow life to live itself. They become apathetic
human beings. As Gray puts aside his desires and habits to please others,
Stevens’ adults do the same thing with their hope and desires for life.
This stanza poses a direct paradox to the previous stanza’s focus on carefree
living and the happiness of childhood. The reader’s image of a young boy
is ambushed as one can picture a chauvinistic group of men convinced that they
are correct and a banal man sitting behind a cubicle in the center of an
endless room of the identical scene. Through his lyrics, Stevens portrays
the dramatic transformation from childhood to adulthood. He depicts how
the virtuous naivete of childhood is lost in a life of interminable worries,
arguments, and defeats. The carefree innocence that is synonymous with
being young is terminated by the realities of adulthood.
As an adult living a life of hectivity and anxiety, growing up
seems so distant and so simple. Yet, what is often ignored is the
intricacy and turbulence of coming of age in a repressive society. While
there are certain things one must experience in life, this often contradicts
what is excepted by one’s elders. Although childhood is filled with
freedom, hopes, and anticipations, one must learn that life is not an
impenetrable bubble of dreams but is, in fact, destructible by one’s own
mistakes and the restraints of those of more power. This is the loss of
innocence--the realization that adult life is not the carefree living and
discovery of childhood but rather the exact opposite, conformity and monotony.
Both Spalding Gray and Cat Stevens describe this idea in their two works.
Through the use of literary devicies such as imagery, metaphors, and dialect
they create a platform on which they can relate their beliefs to their reader.
As Gray struggles with the idea of having to give up his desires because they
are unacceptable and as Stephens gives an intense description of the ennui of
adulthood in contrast to a colorful childhood, the reader is given an indepth
look at the loss of innocence due to the expectations of others. Through
their stories of coming of age as well as the aftermaths of the process, both
authors demonstrate to their audiences how the bubble of childhood is burst at
the hands of society.