“THE EMISSARY”: A GOOD EXAMPLE OF YAL?

by Nadina González Moni

“I don’t like reading this story. It is for old people, not for me!” These utterances might be said by teens after having been asked to deal with a story. However, this does not mean that those adolescents do not like dealing with literature. Teen readers should need stories that catch their attention and keep them interested. However, the truth is that adolescents might not have been introduced to Young Adult Literature, which includes stories specifically aimed at teenagers. Robert C. Small, dean of the Collage of Education and Human Development at Radford University, points out some characteristics unique to young adult novels or stories. Taking those characteristics into account, there are a huge amount of stories which can be considered cases of YAL. A good case of young adult literature is the story “The Emissary” by Ray Bradbury.

Small suggests that a teenager should be the centre of the plot in a story. And this is what actually happens in the story “The Emissary”. Martin, a ten-year-old boy, is the main character. The story is about how Martin is confined to bed and how he feels as regards his illness.

It is true that Dog, Martin’s loyal pet who does whatever Martin wants him to do, seems to be the main character. However, the whole story develops around Martin. Everything that Dog does depends on what his owner needs or wants. This can be perceived the moment that Dog goes outside wearing a collar that has a message written: “My owner is Martin Smith…ten years old…sick in bed…visitors welcome”.

Other characteristic of YAL found in Bradbury’s story is identification. This means that the reader has the possibility to empathize with the main character. This characteristic could be perceived in “The Emissary”. Most teens can identify with Martin, who is sensitive and mature. His sensitiveness is perceived when Miss Haight dies, which makes Martin feel very unhappy, melancholic and angry with God. His maturity is easily discerned. Although he is just an adolescent, who is supposed to have a busy life, he accepts to be confined to bed. Sensitive and mature are almost certain characteristics shared among adolescents.

Apart from identification other characteristic of YAL in “The Emissary” is that the actions and decisions of the main character are major factors in the outcome of the conflict of the story. Apart of being confined to bed because of his illness, Martin faces other two mayor problems. The first one is Miss Haight’s death. Martin cannot conceive that dead people only lie underground. The other problem is the absence of Dog. He feels he cannot stay without him. But, without noticing, Martin solves his problems. The moment Martin says “Dog, come home, and run…” “…good Dog , home, boy, hurry, and bring what you can!”, he is asking Dog to came back home and to take Miss Haight with him, solving the problems.

It is worth clarifying that teens who read and appreciate books will probably feel willing to deal with reading when adults. They will also be parents who encourage their children to read one day. For this reason, if somebody faces adolescents who avoid reading, he should be aware that there is a good way to make them be closer to literature. By introducing them to YAL, adolescents will probably be interested in reading. If they identify with the main character of the story through the main character’s properties and conflicts, adolescents will certainly be engaged to read more and more. Since “The Emissary” allows identification, this story can be taken as a good case of YAL.