Abstract
Young adult literature has been studied to understand how authors represent characters
who denotes their version of experiencing mental disability or social distress. Thus the
following thematic analysis of young adult novels points a question, that whether
portrayal of mental disability/social distress is empowering or not. Certainly, mental
disabilities seem to be different in novels: in their attempts to represent mental
disability/social distress as a real experience, they’re sometimes also attached to popular
conceptions of protagonist’s love-affair. Hence, to focus on novels representing mental
disability/social distress; themes are hypothesized to explore the identity of the
protagonist, society’s influence on protagonist and whether novel romanticize or
represents realistic portrayal of disability/distress. Six novels have been selected-One
memory of Flora Banks, Everything-Everything, All the Bright Places, 13 Reasons Why,
When we Collided and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. These novels calls attention towards
how society aggravates disability and shun those who don’t meet certain expectations to
be mentally healthy. Literature is a powerful social force and conversation starter about
disability/distress awareness to address and deal with challenges. Thus it’s important to
recognize that it plays a key role in the empowerment and appreciation for disability
which has been the center of this analysis.
Awaisha Inayat, Saima Masoom Ali, Ghazal Khawaja. (2019) UNDERSTANDING PORTRAYED MENTAL DISABILITY AND SOCIAL DISTRESS IN YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE AND ITS IMPACT: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS, Journal of Social Science and Humanities, Volume 58, Issue 1.
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