Of the four selections given as the sample Initiation Stories, I most enjoyed and was drawn to the first. "Stepdaughters", a short story written by Max Apple, treats the reader to the beginning of one girl's "womanhood", in which she pursues a peculiar sport that directly contradicts her gender. Throughout the plot, the teenage shot put phenomenon Stephanie goes against her mother's wishes to conform to stereotypical womanly activities, and instead follows her own aspirations, creating conflict between the two characters. This story, the most modern of the four as it was written in 2007, was an interesting and highly entertaining read, as well as a fantastic example of a coming-of-age, or initiation story. Like any other initiation tale, the protagonist in "Stepdaughters" struggles to create her own identity, defining her personal values and her road to a future only she can craft. Stephanie must create her own sense of self, rebelling against the conformist ways of her mother and the social stereotypes and conventions that tell her shot putting is not a sport for a woman. She transforms, as does every adolescent, preteen, and teenager through the initiation story, defining her own identity and setting the course for her future as an Olympic hopeful. She learns a significant truth, gender stereotypes are not set in stone and that she has the power to mold her own life, and no one can get in the way of that. Author Max Apple conveys all of these "initiation rites" in a modern and simple way that many readers are able to understand, familiarizing them with loads of allusions to modern culture and associations with many commonplace American experiences.
Moreover,"Stepdaughters" appealed to me in another personal way, connecting many of my own initiation rites as an adolescent. For someone who participates very heavily in martial arts, and had previously played rugby for several years, I transformed in my own way, setting what aspects of womanhood I thought appropriate, and others that I discarded. Because I can relate to Stephanie's experiences and of her coming-of-age, "Stepdaughters" affected me on a more personal level, allowing me to connect even more associations with the protagonist and her initiation rites.
I think Apple's choice of the shot-put was apt here, and I can certainly see how you would connect to this protagonist's experiences. It is not surprising that the story, as you point out, was published so recently. Sports are one place that girls are currently redefining those traditional roles. But even off the fields or courts, these ideas and expectations are being renegotiated--sometimes in very subtle ways.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.