Hillbilly Elegy Analysis

In the book, Hillbilly Elegy, a real-life issue that is showcased throughout the novel is the struggles in which teenagers go through. The issue that will be highlighted in this assignment is how teenagers often take their parents for granted. The lack of appreciation that Adolescence has for their parents is a well-noted problem in our society. Most times, teenagers do not realize that they are mistreating their parents, therefore it can be a confusing situation. Teenagers are at the time in their lives when they want to be independent and make decisions for themselves, and this often leads to a later feeling of guilt that is placed upon the teen. For instance, in the book, it is noted that Lindsay feels a load of guilt about the way she treated
her grandfather. In the quote, “Lindsay was a teenager when Papaw died, at the height of that weird mixture of thinking you know everything and caring too much about how others perceive you.”, J.D. Vance’s observation of his sister’s guilt properly explains the issues that almost every teenager will face (103). Vance highlights two of the major points regarding this issue, which are, the guilt that follows and the fact that many teenagers tend to worry too much about the way society views them. At such a young age, children are expected to make mistakes, but I can be very difficult for young people to fit in and live a socially appeasable lifestyle because they are troubled by the idea of perfection.
A lot of times teens do not notice the way their parents feel because it is not intended to hurt them in any kind of way.
As proven in the statement, “Thus, she took advantage of him in the same way that every young girl takes advantage of a father: She loved and admired him, she asked him for things that he sometimes have her, and she didn't pay him a lot of attention when she was around her friends., Lindsay, just like many other teenagers, do not recognize their wrongdoing when it comes to their parents, which is why it can cause a great amount of hurt if something were to happen to their parents (104). The caregiver is commonly looked over and a common misconception that they will always be there is created. In all reality, teenagers are oblivious to the severity of the way they treat their parents, but that is normal. As proven throughout the course of this assignment, adolescents are faced with many challenges when it comes to maintaining a certain status quo and it is all about them finding themselves. The quote, “To this day, being able to “take advantage” of someone is the measure in my mind of having a parent.”, shows how typical it is for teenagers in this generation to “take advantage” of their parents, but that is simply one of the struggles that come along with being a parent at this day and age (104). Being a teen and having to live in a world that expects nothing less than perfection can be quite troubling and may certainly result in frustration and animosity
towards the people that love them most, their parents.