Self-Actualization in a Postmodern World in John Updike’s “A&P” and Anne Tyler’s “Teenage Wasteland”

Authors : Mevlude Zengin

Pages : 561-586

Doi:10.31795/baunsobed.1660340

View : 83 | Download : 147

Publication Date : 2025-12-16

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :In a rapidly evolving postmodern world characterized by technological advancements, cultural fragmentations, and either shifting or disappearing social norms, the quest for individuality has become increasingly complex and fraught with challenges. As traditional structures dissolve, individuals have become exposed to a world marked by ambiguity and existential uncertainty. To realize oneself, the struggle for identity, and to be oneself have become existentialist issues in today’s world. The tension between the desire for self-expression and the pressures of societal conformity often leads to a profound sense of dislocation, particularly among adolescents and young adults. These and similar topics have become significant subject matters and themes in literature. “A&P” (1961) by John Updike and “Teenage Wasteland” (1983) by Anne Tyler are the two short stories delving into the themes of identity, self-actualization, adolescence, social nonconformity, alienation, expressing oneself freely and the desire for independence along with developing an attitude against all kinds of restrictions. This study aims to explore the hardships of becoming an individual and creating a self of one’s own in a contemporary context as reflected in stories in question. The factors affecting personal identities and making the formation of identity difficult, particularly in adolescence, will be explored by the main characters, Sammy and Donny in “A&P” and “Teenage Wasteland” respectively. By making use of the theoretical perspectives on the concept of individualism and the constitution of the individual in the postmodern context, these two characters will be analysed as the representations of the self in the contemporary world in order to reveal the profound implications of the challenges for personal agency, realization of oneself and becoming oneself.
Keywords : Bireyselcilik, Kendini gerçekleştirme, Ergen, “A&P”, “Teenage Wasteland”

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