“ The phase of adolescence becomesaˆ¦ about a manner of life between childhood and maturity ” ( Erikson 128 ) .

Erik Erikson, a adolescent psychologist, depict how adolescence is its ain clip period between childhood and maturity. Throughout the narratives the Breakfast Club directed by John Heashes, and A & A ; P by John Updike, this interruption in between childhood and maturity is shown in assorted ways.

While both the Breakfast Club and A & A ; P are different in the manner a group environment versus lone, relatively nevertheless, they are similar because, both display the same Acts of the Apostless of certain constructs put forth by Erik Erikson, like rebellion, self consciousness, and pride.

Throughout the film of The Breakfast Club, and the Story A & A ; P by John Updike, the thought of caring about 1s physical visual aspect and seeking to suit into what is considered “ in ” is exploited numerously throughout both media. In a narrative, by Erik Erikson, he states that “ They [ adolescents ] are sometimes morbidly frequently oddly, preoccupied with what they appear to be in the eyes of others as compared with what they feel they are. ” ( Erikson 128 ) This is shown best in the breakfast nine through a miss named Claire. Claire is a really popular miss at school, but during the Saturday detainment is embarrassed by one of her endowments. Her endowment is to set lip rouges on while keeping the lip rouge between her chests. When the other pupils inquire her what her endowment was, she turned the shadiness of a ripe strawberry, and denied holding a endowment at all. This illustration shows how a adolescent in adolescence is so engrossed in the image that they portray, they try and hide behind walls of unreal character. The following illustration roots from a narrative named A & A ; P where a male child working at the shop witnesses a group of misss in bathing suits walk around the shop. The illustration is non of the male child, but the actions and idiosyncrasies of the group of misss. In the narrative it says “ she [ the leader ] had talked the other two into coming here with her, and now she was demoing them how to make it, walk slow and keep yourself directly. ” ( Updike 1 ) This portion of the narrative illustrates how as the group of misss advancement throughout the shop, the two other misss are seeking to immolate the leader, and become like her. This is because like Erikson said, in adolescence, adolescents are obsessed with their visual aspect to others, alternatively of being themselves. To carry through this, the other two misss so use the leader as an illustration and seek to copy her every move in order to portray the same image as the leader.

In another similarity in the film is the feeling of bluster in the instance that a individual would non give up his or her pride in endorsing down to an senior. Erikson ‘s quotation mark states this best stating “ He would instead move unashamedly in the eyes of his seniors, out of free pick, than be forced into activities which would be black in his ain eyes or in those of his equals ” ( Erikson 129. ) This quotation mark merely illustrates how adolescents act with others about. This thought is shown throughout The Breakfast Club, but in one peculiar topographic point, it shines. The minute is where Mr. Vernon the principal, is reasoning with a rebellious pupil named Bender, in forepart of the group. During the statement, Mr. Vernon starts giving Bender detainment, but no affair how many detainments Bender gets he is non willing to endorse down. This unwillingness to give up his pride roots itself in Erikson ‘s quotation mark, where while his parents would look down upon his actions, he will non let his ain equals to see him give in, because giving in to this icon of authorization would be black in his ain eyes. This same thought can besides be seen in the narrative of A & A ; P. When the director of A & A ; P tells the misss they are being indecorous with their garb, Sammy, the male child watching the misss and working the registry, quits his occupation. Now at first these seems unrelated, but when you look deeper, you can see that the ground Sammy quit his occupation, was to stand up to the director ; therefore, looking good in forepart of the misss. This action is the same as in the breakfast Club, and merely emulates how adolescents would instead look good for their friends through assorted actions alternatively of get downing their pride.

The last similarity between these two narratives is that when a adolescent is forced to make something, or pressured to make something, they will respond and contend back or Rebel. Erikson, explains this construct by stating “ Should a immature individual experience that the environment attempts to strip him excessively radically of all signifiers of look which permit him to develop and incorporate the following measure, he may defy with the wild strength encountered in animate beings who are all of a sudden forced to support their lives ” ( Erikson 130. ) In the breakfast Club this thought is captured in a male child named Brian, who is a consecutive, A pupil, and has a great household life. The other side is that his parents push him to hard, and he is non able to populate up to their outlooks. Then to arise, like Erikson said, he goes with bender, and the group and fume marihuana. This is his act of arising against his parents. However, this was merely the 2nd rebellious act. His first act was much more black, and would hold been a last resort to his job with criterions. His last resort involved him killing himself with a flair gun. By perpetrating this act, he would be arising against his parents ‘ wants for him to be the perfect kid, and while this act is highly extremist, it embodies Erikson ‘s thoughts of how when “ animate beings experience endangered, they will contend for their lives ” . The similarity between The Breakfast Club and A & A ; P with Erikson ‘s quotation mark is when Sammy quits his occupation. While this applies to the old construct, it besides applies to this quotation mark, but in a different position. While the old position was that Sammy quit to look good in forepart of his equals, this quotation mark focuses more on his edifice of his individuality through be slightly laden. He felt as though the misss were allowed to be shopping at that place. In the narrative it says “ Remembering how he made the pretty girl bloom makes me so scrunchy interior ” ( Updike 3. ) This shows that he felt as though they were being discriminated against, and rebelled against the environment he was in ; this nevertheless, resulted in the loss of his occupation.

In decision, these two narratives, the breakfast Club and A & A ; P, are more similar than different. This is because throughout both narratives the characters while non in the same environment intending group action versus lone, still move the same. We see this with Claire and the misss in the shop being self witting, Bender, and Sammy protecting their pride, and in conclusion we see Brian, and Sammy both seeking to arise against authorization. With all of these illustrations, it shows that The Breakfast Club and A & A ; P portion more similarities than differences.