Amanda's Role in Teenage Wasteland

It has always been my belief that what is not stated in a piece of literature is often more important than what is stated. I make it a point to focus on the subtle hints that an author drops throughout the story, hints which others may overlook. In Anne Tyler’s Teenage Wasteland, I think that the most important character, more so than Donny, Daisy, and Cal, is Amanda. At first glance, this may seem odd; however, the entire story can practically be told through the brief encounters that the reader has with Amanda. The entirety of the short story is dedicated to a parent’s asking herself, “What went wrong?” Daisy seems to try everything she can, but no matter what, her efforts with her rebellious son Donny are fruitless and she loses him forever when he runs away. Several of my peers argued that she did indeed try everything she could and that Donny’s demeanor was not her fault, but I disagree. There is a “too late” point for everything, and Daisy had undoubtedly reached hers long before. Not until Donny begins getting himself into trouble does she attempt to seek help, but how did he become like that in the first place? A troubled adolescence is almost always linked to a troubled childhood, and a troubled childhood usually finds its roots in an ignored youth. Daisy is unable to find enough time to devote the full attention that each of her children needs and deserves. When Amanda wants to discuss the happenings of her day, her preoccupied mother neglects her. To some, Daisy was merely tired and it was not a big deal that she told Amanda that she would listen another time, but for me, I saw it as strong clue as to what Daisy was like to Donny as a child. We are only shown Daisy as a struggling mother, but through her encounters with Amanda, we see Daisy as a young mother. Later, Daisy and her husband abandon Amanda during dessert, leaving her to finish eating and cleaning up on her own. To a child, such actions can seem incredibly heartbreaking, and so begins the child’s alienation from the family. Which child would chose to spend time with a family that can never seem to make time for him or her? It seems ludicrous that Daisy does not blame herself for the way both her children end up. Near the conclusion of the story, we learn that Amanda chooses to stay away from home as much as possible. Again, we are shown Daisy’s failure as a parent. Had she only spent more time with her daughter and not treated her as a second priority to Donny, perhaps at least one of her children would have grown up with the proper parenting necessary for a healthy lifestyle. But alas, Daisy seems never to learn from her mistakes, and through Amanda, we see that she is intent upon repeating them even while her folly, as symbolized by Donny, is staring her right in the face. In conclusion, Amanda’s small but powerful role is an extremely effective tool in providing insight into Daisy’s true parenting. Many see her actions with Donny as worthy tries and good attempts, but had she only tried harder during Donny’s youth, she would never have the problems in the first place. Daisy seeks others to throw the accountability on for Donny’s disappearing, but whom will she blame for Amanda’s abandonment for the family? Again, Daisy reaches her “too late” point and there is no one to blame but herself (596).