Atypical Teenage Life

Mirna Marroquin
It’s Kind of a Funny Story - Ned Vizzini

The transition from childhood to adulthood, otherwise known as “adolescence”, can possibly be one of the roughest ventures anyone has to go through. During a time where your sense of self starts to truly develop, a creeping feeling of vulnerability can sink in, and unfortunately, that happens to the main character in “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” by Ned Vizzini. Teenager Craig Gilner is known to have an especially innovative mind and he is close to graduating middle school, he sets a monumental goal to be accepted into an extremely prestigious school - Manhattan Executive Pre-Professional High School.

Known to be an institution where future lawyers, doctors and other white collar professionals are made, this school is no easy feat for Craig. The entrance exam - known as the Bernard Lutz Philanthropic Exam - is insanely difficult, thus making Craig dedicate an entire year to studying for it. Prior to this, Craig wasn’t a very social person, so the friends he once had are soon gone, until during his year of studying he befriends Aaron, another teenager studying for the exam as well.  They start to hang out quite often and even though the friendship is something unfamiliar to Craig, he gladly accepts it as he thinks “We kept doing it. It became a regular thing. We never formalized it, never named it but on Fridays Aaron would call and ask me to watch movies” (59).

As the deadline gets closer, Craig soon starts to have certain dark yet fleeting thoughts; however, he never truly dwells on them and thinks nothing of it, however he does label them, describing them as "tentacles", the bad thoughts and "anchors", the positive thoughts. Craig says " It was about this time that I started labeling things Tentacles. I had a lot of Tentacles. I needed to cut some of them. But I couldn't: they were too strong.." (95).

As the results come back, both Craig and Aaron get accepted in, and to celebrate, Aaron decides to throw a party. Not used to doing so, Craig goes and for the the first time ever, gets drunk - which is very normal for teenagers to do so during this transitional period. Towards the end of the party however, Craig and Aaron go out for a walk and as they near the Brooklyn Bridge, Craig has the insane urge to get close to the edge, and doing so, he claims that it was the closest to feeling alive than he has in weeks.

The school year then starts, and it hits Craig hard. The crazy amount of work and projects and internships that are expected of him encourage the number of dark thoughts to increase, even driving Craig to lose his appetite and any motivation to do any school work. Compared to the student he was once was, Craig's easy submission to procrastination is noticed by his parents and his teachers, and it ruins Craig's mental health, forcing him to realize that he has been dealing with depression the entire time.

As for what I have read of this novel, I consider it to be an eye opening one. So far, the struggle of being a high school is close to what I have personally experienced but not the same extent as Craig, as I have never dealt with suicidal thoughts like his, for example "It's so hard to talk when you want to kill yourself...it's a physical thing, like it's physically hard to open your mouth and make the words come out...you stumble on them as they gather behind your lower lip. So you just keep quiet" (3). This allows adolescents like met to realize that at such a developmental age, a teenage mindset truly differs from every individual.
Ned Vizzini has done an accurate job of telling the story in the voice of a teenager, as there's no sense of formality and the typical teenage mindset shines through. Not every author can nail that down, as it's evident when it seems forced and unnatural, but Vizzini has remained consistent with doing a great job. As for the argument that is presented in the novel, it presents an issue that gets overlooked in a new light.

The stereotype that teenagers are moody and grumpy all the time is such a cliche, but there is truth in stereotypes yet the constant generalization of them is what waters down that speck of truth. Starting from the year you grow past childhood up until you are considered an adult, teenagers have to face ever changing standards. On one hand, we are too young to be taken seriously and our input is easily brushed to the side but on the other hand, any error we make is clearly emphasized on and we are expected to make the right choice every time, as we now too old to have our blunders be forgotten.
This book so far seems perfect for an audience that has faced similar struggles like Craig's, as any source of relativity can be a comfort. This outlet of familiarity can show that they are not alone in facing their issues. Mental health issues have the ability to isolate people, but with books like these, it can help break down those barriers.