Research Paper on "Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary"

Research Paper 3 pages (1106 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

Adolescence is a time of development, both painful and joyous. It marks a transition from dependence to independence. The nature of this transition often only seems clear in retrospect, but it's key characteristic is the assumption of power over one's own life. Beverly Cleary's Dear Mr. Henshaw portrays such a transition and all its turmoil and joy. Leigh Botts moves from confused and helpless adolescent, to confident arbiter of his own life through the transition of authorities and the acceptance of his own ability to consciously examine his own life.

The form of the book is epistolary though not quite strictly so. Before we examine the nuances of Cleary's effort, we find that the epistolary form, in children's literature is "used for extremely subtle characterization, where character development is never stated explicitly, since the character is too young to judge himself."1 So the importance of the use of the epistolary form here is that we see Botts beginning to examine his own feelings. He takes the inner and commits it to writing. We will examine this phenomenon in detail later, but suffice to say that for now, this is the beginning of Botts's maturation.

Botts first takes to writing letters for a homework assignment. He has to communicate with an author, an authority, as we will later find. Botts is required to do the assignment and he displays indignation at having to do so. The questions Henshaw sends for him to answer make Botts "really mad," and he says he doesn't "think it's fair to make me do more work when I already wrote a report…I'm not going to answer them, and you can't make me."2 At first, Botts is reluctant to reveal his feelings. He uses the absent authority of his own father to ward Henshaw off. We soon find though, that Botts transfers this authorial affection to Henshaw, and finally, to himself.

The epistolary form so far has been analyzed for its personal implications. It is someone taking the inner world of consciousness and revealing it to another. However, "not all first-person narratives are concerned with the narrator's consciousness; instead they primarily render events and happenings around them."1 This is important to note. Firstly, Botts's letters are only this, external observations, bereft of the understanding that an inner world of consciousness accompanies and informs these outside events.

In her essay, "Composing a Life': The Diary of Leigh Botts," Geraldine De Luca posits that in "children's literature, there is a strong pull toward resolution…the movement is usually toward finding some way back to a condition of understanding and regeneration."3 The very title of her essay suggests the movement of Cleary's protagonist. He is composing his life. Life isn't something that simply happens to you. You compose life and its events.

We now move back to Botts's letters. Earlier, we noted how reluctant he was to answer the questions sent to him by Mr. Henshaw. This reluctance signifies a pivotal moment in the transition of helpless youth to commanding adult. Interestingly, Cleary aligns Botts with his father at this point. When his mom finds the unanswered letters, Botts laments that "she says I can't go through life expecting everyone to do everything for me. She used to say the same thing to Dad when he left… READ MORE

How to Reference "Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary" Research Paper in a Bibliography

Related Research Papers:

Beverley Clery's Dear Mr. Henshaw Thesis

Mr. Henshaw

A number of anecdotes in the early letters in Dear Mr. Henshaw will make a young reader groan in sympathy. The fact that students are given assignments to… read more

Thesis 2 pages (827 words) Sources: 0 Style: MLA Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

Positive Light Dear Mr. Bigbucks: This Firm Term Paper

Positive Light

Dear Mr. BigBucks:

This firm has always been tremendously appreciative of your business and of your trust throughout its two-decade-long association with the BigBucks family. We know that… read more

Term Paper 2 pages (712 words) Sources: 2 Topic: Law / Legal / Jurisprudence

---

Positive Light Dear Mr. Smith: This Firm Term Paper

Positive Light

Dear Mr. Smith:

This firm has always been tremendously appreciative of your business and of your trust during our long association with the Smith family. We know that… read more

Term Paper 2 pages (715 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Law / Legal / Jurisprudence

---

Native Americans Dear Mr. De Vries Research Proposal

Native Americans

Dear Mr. De Vries,

Your journal entry dated 1643 shows great insight into the character of the colonies at the time. Such brutally disgusting bodily mutilations could only… read more

Research Proposal 1 pages (310 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Religion / God / Theology

---

Mr. Dan Smith Case Study

Mr. Dan Smith

Over the last several years, a variety of health care organizations have been: seeking out other providers that they can merger with or form some kind of… read more

Case Study 2 pages (700 words) Sources: 2 Topic: Management / Organizations

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>