A Portrait of the Artist as A Young Man

This novel tied in very nicely with my big question because a lot of it had to do with introvert versus extrovert. This opened up a whole new perspective regarding children's view's of themselves. A great portion of Stephen's childhood is based on his lack of knowledge of the world, of religion, and of politics. Joyce's portrayal of this through Stephen's absorption of ideas from his family and surroundings shows how much he wants to understand, but cannot.
To me, it seems that children who are afraid of others more fear what they do not understand. This is why they seclude themselves and fear socialization. But we must remember as the famous proverb goes, "There is nothing to fear, only to be understood".
However, Stephen also grows up to be much of an introvert, but as readers we see that there is in fact a lot going on in his head. Another possible reason for one's lack of socialization could be his feeling of superiority to others or knowledge of something he feels that others cannot obtain. For example, Stephen's understanding of sheer perspective, of his senses, and of one's duty to satisfy his his desires stood far above his peers along with this learning capacity. He simply did not fit in with the others. They did not understand his capabilities and his needs because they were all "normal" and he was not.
It is important to realize that even in the modern day school system, so many kids are socially left behind in an attempt to academically jump ahead. A brilliant 11 year old may be able to solve high school calculus problems, but because of his talent, may seclude himself from peers who do not value his intelligence. He therefore leaves the social piece of maturing out of his box, the piece that is so crucial in developing a well rounded personality.
What would we call Stephen in today's world: bipolar, depressed, autistic? Does his condition even have a name, or has he developed a sickness in the "love of the beautiful". Small children do not understand their passions, but having mature adults understand them, unlike Stephen's parents who scorned his dreams and lifestyle, makes their developments into adolescents much more stable and blostered.

Crime and Punishment Connection

In Crime and Punishment the social conditions of the city often reflect the manners in which individual characters interact with one another. Not many children appear in the novel, but the minor character Polenka maintains a vital connection with Raskolnikov.

As a child, she is very friendly and open to Raskolnikov's pain and suffering, as well as releasing her own. During her time of suffering, her mind has begun to "absorb" all the possibilities of a solution to the financial problems and physical illness of her family. Polenka has been forced to take on the role of an older child; she has grown up very quickly because her mother is sick, her father is often out of the house drinking, and her older sister Sonia is away trying to support the family with her profession.

Along with Polenka, Sonia has been a main pillar within the family and her role being this main financial support system has been one she's forced to take because of her father's drinking. At only the age of 18, she is supporting a family of 4: father, mother, and two siblings. Her acts of prostitution and closeness to God have made her a more selfless person and allowed her to understand the true meaning of adulthood.

How does Henry IV, Part 1 help answer my question? I would love to tell you!

This play is difficult to connect to my question, but here goes! The youngest character in this play is Hal, and so the answer to my question is directed toward him. Falstaff mostly influences Hal with thoughts of thievery, lies, and enjoyment of life. As a descendant of the royal line--the royal line by name, not blood-- he should be living up to his name. The influences in Hal's allow him to associate with the commoners, to build relationships with people that are not of his status. As a young adult, Hal is very open to accepting their ways of life, even though he may not agree with them. To answer my question, Hal falls into the category of the more outgoing youngsters because Falstaff's influence has encouraged him to develop a relationship with the commoners that many of the royalty could only dare to do. He also encourages him (indirectly) to committ to life in a more spontaneous manner.

Possibly connecting back to Hal's childhood, perhaps the reason he had recently turned to Falstaff was because his own father had not encouraged a life of enjoyment. Hal still recognizes that Falstaff's life is not the way to live, but he still desires this variation of perspective that Henry was not able to provide.

How does Oedipus relate to my BIG Question you ask? Well, I will tell you...

The connection I tried to make between Oedipus and my question is at the ending of the play, when Oedipus reveals his truth to his children/siblings. Here, the children I'm assuming had chose to open up to his character believing that he was their father and nothing else. But it is heartbreaking and shocking for them to discover that Oedipus is their brother along with their father. For this reason, I'm concluding that children who fear forming a new relationship fear it because it may be either short-lived or full of deception--in other words the person who they befriend may trick them somehow. So they refrain from forming new relationships in the first place.

My Big AP Question!

My question for this year is: Why are some young children unwilling to open up to their environment while others rush head first into creating new relationships?
I first became interested in this question when I visited my mom's work at the beginning of the year. She is a teacher and was having an open house at her school for the new kids to come in and meet their teachers. I noticed that lots of kids were shy, yet others were extremely friendly and outgoing. When a mom asked her son to say hi to his new teacher, he immediately jumped into his mom's arms crying "Mom! I'm scared!" I wonder about what types of family lifestyles or influences make some children naturally more friendly than others.