Adolescence in The Master of Disaster by Guy Vanderhagae...

Adolescence marks the turning point of an individuals life, establishing the foundation of their development. It is during this phase that individuals leave behind the comfort of childhood and enter a reality beset with new perceptions of life. There are many stages of life, each enclosing its own distinct characteristics. As evident in the short story, The Master of Disaster, written by Guy Vanderhaeghe, adolescence involves growth as an individual, both physically and emotionally. Although each phase has its own challenges and difficulties, adolescence proves to be the most difficult stage of life to overcome. Through examination of the situations in the story, it becomes apparent that adolescence involves experiencing emotional†¦show more content†¦This exemplifies only one of the many emotional obstacles adolescents are forced to overcome. They are often faced with a decision that will affect the outcome of life. In this situation, Bernie is torn between telling Kurt the truth and the fear that Norman will punish him for doing so. In the past, as a result of contradicting Normans beliefs about a movie, Bernie was subjected to being ignored by his peers, Norman put the word out and nobody did talk to me. I was shunned, given the silent treatment for a month and a half before I managed to weasel my way back into Normans good graces. (Vanderhaeghe, 58) This illustrates the power Norman has among his friends. He is seen as the leader of the group, so everyone abides to his every demand. Bernie is conscious of this, persuading him even more to keep the truth from Kurt. At this point, he is emotionally unstable. He feels obliged to tell his friend, however, he is afraid of having to face the consequences of doing so. Bernie is in a lose, lose situation. Whatever he decides to do will affect him a negative manner. He is also fearful of being honest to Kurt, in the sense that it might hurt him emotionally, I was going to tell him. Of course, I never did. Truly sweet and gentle souls never get told what the rest of us do. Kurt Meinecke was so incorrigibly