Skip to main content

YA Lit.: Dumplin'



Nowadays, young adult literature covers a wide range of themes, offering commentary on everything from self-image and confidence to abuse and death. While the recent release of the Netflix series (based on the novel) 13 Reasons Why  has arguably created a negative association between young adults and literature, there are plenty of YA novels that deal with teenage realities beyond suicide.

Julie Murphy's Dumplin', a novel full of southern charm and the narrator Willowdean's no non-sense sarcasm, provides the reader with a classic battle between feeling good in your own skin and wanting to fit in with society's bodily expectations. Willowdean, an overweight 11th grader in a town obsessed with an annual beauty pageant, can't seem to get away from the local pressures to be a beauty queen. Usually comfortable in her skin, Willowdean starts to question her confidence when a co-worker shows romantic interest. Although dealing with a serious topic that could easily turn into a downward spiral of self-harm and eating disorders, Murphy's protagonist handles her struggles in a way that is more empowering than depressing.

Currently, I am halfway through Dumplin', and while I have trouble buying into the realism behind some of Murphy's characters and their choices, I have enjoyed Willowdean's journey in rebuilding her self-confidence thus far. Exhibiting a gradual increase in risky behavioral choices, it is clear that Willowdean is struggling with a desire for risk and reward that stems from cognitive changes during adolescence. As a result, it is easy for a young adult reader to relate to her thought process and reasoning.

However, the main love interest, Bo, is sometimes less than believable. With an aggressive past, creepy tendencies, no respect for boundaries, and a stereotypical bad-boy heartthrob appearance; Bo is otherwise a mystery to Willowdean and the reader. Bo tends to make choices I would never associate with a popular-ish teen male, and his pursuit of Willowdean despite her larger size seems unrealistic for high school. Unfortunately, societal standards have conditioned Willowdean to be just as skeptical as the reader.

With half the novel to go, I look forward to seeing how the rest of the story unfolds. Will Murphy's characters take a more realistic turn? Hopefully so. The story is full of positive messages about respecting yourself, and if the characters take on more realistic traits by the end, I will not hesitate to recommend the novel for use in a secondary classroom.

Comments

  1. mbFebruary 4, 2018 at 3:59 AM

    Very interesting and thoughtful perspective. I especially appreciate your critical perspective. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amy GagliardiFebruary 8, 2018 at 10:43 AM

    I like that you are open to being critical about the novel, as well as finding aspects that you enjoy. I wonder how you would use this novel in the classroom if it is not entirely realistic? Would this have an effect on the students?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kayla CarewMarch 14, 2018 at 4:45 PM

    Hi, Allie! As you know, I also read Dumplin', so it was nice to hear your perspectives in greater depth. I, too, thought that the book lacked a sense of realism. After finishing the novel, does your opinion on this issue stand or has it changed? Do you think that Julie Murphy purposefully made the reader view the characters and circumstances as unrealistic to push preconceptions?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Five Cs of Learning That Inspires

Throughout my undergraduate career, almost all of the courses in my education major started the semester with some type of reflection on philosophies in education. Since my courses on child and adolescent development (running in my second and fourth semesters respectively), I have identified most strongly with John Dewey’s Theory of Progressive Education. Progressivism has therefore been a common theme in my blog posts, and today’s reflection will continue my growth and strengthen the philosophical foundation I have built for myself as a progressivist teacher. Of course, other theories in education are worth consideration: behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and humanism all offer insight on how we learn from various perspectives of study. However, I find that progressivism (if adopted fully) takes the best points of these theories and blends them together, creating a student-centered learning environment where student needs and interests are at the forefront of their educationa...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Temporary Take-Over - ST Week 5.2

As this cold Vermont January comes to a close and I’m welcoming February with a prayer for Punxsutawney Phil to grant us an early spring, I am excited to take a few moments to reflect on the past three days of my student teaching experience. From January 29th through January 31st, the Team Nova general and special education teachers attended a conference led by Ross Greene, an American child psychologist and the author of several books about supporting students with specific needs in the classroom. Having read Greene’s book Lost & Found together , Nova’s driving purpose for participating in the conference was the goal to better support the students on our team with EBD. The last few weeks have proven difficult for students coping with EBD at EMS, and the stress felt by all community members as we try to navigate academics and emotional support together is visibly overwhelming for many. While I have not heard much about the conference and Nova’s takeaways yet, I am eager to hear ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Making the World a Little Smaller: Working with ELLs

Nepal (shaded in yellow). Source link: http://www.yourchildlearns.com/online-atlas/images/map-of-nepal.gif As a part of the Secondary Education Program at Saint Michael's, students have the opportunity to work with English Language Learners (ELLs) in local middle and high schools. When I first learned about this placement opportunity, I was admittedly a little nervous. How can you work with a student that doesn't quite understand you? Expecting a lot of frustration, "uhms," and "uhs" on both ends, I took a few deep breaths before meeting my student for the first time. For the sake of privacy, I will refer to my student in this and future posts as "S." Prior to our meeting, I knew that S. was from Nepal, a place I had never been to and knew little about its culture. Luckily, I did know where to find it on a map! Wanting to better understand what sort of environment S. had emigrated from, I conducted a general search on Nepal. I also looked ...
Post a Comment
Read more