Comments on: Is It Bad To Identify With Charlize Theron’s Character in ‘Young Adult?’

By: Abc

Abc — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:50:00 +0000

Funnily enough, I never considered Mavis to be a bad character, quite the otherwise, I think she is courageous, bold and independent. After I realized how despised she really is by the public, I questioned myself whether I might be rotten to the core.

By: Rohit Ramachandran

Rohit Ramachandran — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:35:00 +0000

How old are you? That’s a key question here.

“Sure, Mavis seems like an unlikable character with despicable personality traits, however she is someone I feel a lot of people can identify with and if more people could be more open about their own character flaws rather than hiding them behind their salaries, decorated homes and their abilities to reproduce, then maybe people like Mavis could be more accepted in this world.”

-It’s bad to identify with your Shadow archetype. The persona should be in control of the Shadow, not the other way around.

By: Lopez

Lopez — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:28:45 +0000

I’m actually 27 years old and the fact that you would attack me just shows how immature you are.

I’m not saying that she is a good person. She has many problems. I’m just pointing out the fact that a lot of her internal struggles are things a lot of us can relate to–despite the fact we would never admit it.

By: Carole Living

Carole Living — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:50:00 +0000

Perhaps the only thing you have in common with Mavis is that you are approaching 40 and you feel life has passed you by. Other than that, Mavis is a narsissistic sociopath. She doesnt learn from her mistakes because she cannot.

This movie is a study in mental illness. If Mavis had married Buddy early, she would still be nuts and a horrible mother.

By: Brian Glover

Brian Glover — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:53:00 +0000

I agree with you, 100%. At the end, I was pretty happy for Mavis — she finally seems to accept the person she really is, rather than the person her own sappy YA novels would want her to be. It’s hard to be alone, but on the other hand she has freedom and opportunities that the breeders in Mercury can only dream of.

P.S.: Since you love the written word so much, you might want to fix the misplaced modifier in the first sentence; as it stands, it implies that you and someone else were (both) on a date with your boyfriend. ’Course, maybe that’s what you actually meant. It happens.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:59:00 +0000

No, I don’t think it’s bad to identify with Mavis, but that doesn’t make her any less screwed up. I am sure loads of people can identify with parts of her personality, I know I can, but most of them are parts of myself that I don’t particularly like.
I think it is natural to seek validation from your peers, but where Mavis went wrong, IMO, is in seeking validation from the wrong people. She was asking for validation from what had become the “popular kids” in her hometown (the couples with settled lives and kids), but those people don’t and will never get her and will therefore never give her the validation and acceptance she needs. They will either shun or pity her or view her as a charity case, all of which in turn will lead her to feel superior and pity them.Being different doesn’t exclude you from living a full and socially accepted life, “all” you need to do is find a different social crowd, one that are more like you and will understand, accept and support you, in essence you need to find like minded people. And contrary to popular belief, no one is that different, if you are open to it, you will always find a group of individuals with enough overlapping traits to allow you to feel understood and accepted.And if you are not open to it, then that is your choice, but don’t say that no one gets you, you just didn’t look. IMO at least……

By: Katie

Katie — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 09:34:00 +0000

I disagree with the author about becoming withdrawn from social life if one truly commits to being a writer. Perhaps this is more of a personality trait than a rule for all writers. It is unfair to make such a bold generalization about a group of people. Many writers that I have known, as well as those with creative occupations, have lead enriched, happy lives–with families. Not everyone is suited for raising a family, which there is absolutely nothing wrong with. On the same token, however, those who do choose to create a family are not settling for mediocrity. They simply have different values and goals than Mavis and the writer. It takes a strong, dedicated person to raise a child who is a polite, intelligent, and pleasant human being, and this is a feat to be commended, not mocked. Perhaps it is not the writer’s intention to belittle those who have chosen a different life path than she has, however, her tone communicates a superiority to others that is offensive to readers of a different school of thought.

As a side note, I am not a stay-at-home mom sticking up for people like myself. I am a single, nineteen year old college student who finds it distasteful to ridicule lifestyles different from my own.

By: Nina Richardson

Nina Richardson — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:39:00 +0000

It’s true. It’s very fucking true.