O'Neill, Eugene: 1888-1953

Ah, Wilderness!, 1933 - Thematic Parallels: Adolescence

Adolescence is a critical stage of growth and development where a person moves toward physical maturity, emotional independence, and social responsibility.
O'Neill, Eugene: Ah, Wilderness!, 1933
The play’s topic is about adolescence, first love, family bonds, and the yearning for independence, all within the safe framework of an affectionate, idealized home life.
The following books are thematically simliar. They lend themselves well to being read in groups, compared with one another, or used to teach a similar topic over an extended period with a class:
- Cunningham, Michael: A Home at the End of the World, 1990, ~340pp
  This is a novel involving themes of adolescence and family.
  - Both works deal with women torn between domestic responsibilities and inner desires. They highlight how marriage, passion, memory, and identity conflict in women’s lives — and how society punishes or restricts those who try to break free.
- Hosseini, Khaled: The Kite Runner, 2003, ~340pp
  This is a novel focusing on friendship, betrayal, and coming-of-age in Afghanistan.
  - Both novels share deep concerns with identity, belonging, the inescapability of the past, and the fragile balance of family life under the shadow of tragedy.
- Plath, Sylvia: The Bell Jar, 1963, ~250pp
  This novel explores the psychological struggles of a young woman.
  - Both novels explore how personal identity is shaped by social pressures, family dynamics, and internalized expectations. Characters grapple with understanding themselves amid external influences. They emphasize how trauma, whether direct or inherited through family, shapes the characters’ actions, perceptions, and futures.
- Salinger, J.D.: The Catcher in the Rye, 1951, ~220pp
  This is a novel about adolescence and youth.
  - Both novels explore how personal identity, trauma, and societal pressures intersect, and how the protagonists grow through confronting these challenges.
List of general discussion questions on Adolescence (pdf)
List of essay prompts on Adolescence (pdf)