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Life After High School Essay

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In life, everyone has an image in their mind of who they would like to be - how they project themselves to the world through their morals and virtues, and how others perceive them to be. This concept can be one of beauty and growth, for it allows people to strive for a conjured image of the greatest version of themselves; however, issues begin to arise when pressure from outside sources forces an image that conflicts with the person’s own feelings, and a fissure begins to form between who they are, and who they want to be. “Life after High School” by Joyce Carol Oates showcases the tribulations that can be brought upon ourselves should we ignore our own feelings and desires in an attempt to become someone who we are not. Our …show more content…
Sunny was not her birth-name, it was Barbara, but through her joyful nature, her teacher decided upon the nickname “Sunny,” and her peers quickly accepted it. Sunny, who was still bustling with youth and innocence at the time, all of a sudden felt a responsibility to be perpetually positive and joyful, rather than let it come naturally. When Zachary began to court her, the solution was a fairly simple one, and that is rejection; however, through donning her sunshine incarnation, she had discarded one of the most powerful abilities that a human possess – the capability of saying “no.” If Sunny was able to stand up for herself and speak her thoughts without worry, none of the hardships that she faced throughout the story would have occurred, for while she meant well, her lack of rejection continued to fuel Zachary’s misguided attempts at courtship, and secured him down a destructive path. The idea of trying to conform who you are as a person, while not necessarily to the extent of Sunny or Zachary, is something I believe a lot of people have done in life, including myself.

In the end, “Life after High School” illuminates the importance that we stay true to who we are as individuals. There is little doubt that life will present to us pressure to conform to an ideal image of someone who we are not, but we must not succumb to it - for self-deception

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