Adolescence in Dangerous Laughter by Millhauser

Table of Contents

Introduction
Adolescence in Dangerous Laughter
Conclusion
Work Cited

Introduction

In the short story Dangerous Laughter, a group of adolescents engages in a trendy habit. Teenagers congregate at gatherings and laugh irrationally until the laughing obscures prudence and rationality. One girl, Clara Schuler, breaks out of her shell of shyness thanks to the laughing craze and would not let go of it even when the other teenagers switch to crying parties. Clara gradually starts to lose her sense of identity and ultimately has an uncontrollable laughing fit.

Adolescence in Dangerous Laughter

The author shows adolescence in this story as a time of serene carelessness when even the most harmless matter like laughter can become the only desire of a whole generation in a tiny town. Teenagers in the story are described as children for whom meaningless activities and free time are reserved only for themselves and their fun. After all, we were young. We were fourteen and fifteen, scornful of childhood, remote from the world of stern and ludicrous adults this is how the narrator describes himself, making it clear to the reader that this is a story about teenagers (Millhauser, 2009). About teenagers who, despite all their dreams and hopes, will do everything to spend time captivated by at least some event.

In addition, the actions and words of the narrator allow readers to take a detailed look at the actions of adolescents, which correspond to their age. They are presented as people who, obsessed with one passion, quickly lose interest in it, and begin to look for something new that will give them new adventures, which the narrator talks about at the very beginning. While one of us lay writhing in laughter, the rest glanced toward the windows. One day someone pulled a deck of cards from a pocket, and as we waited our turn on the bed, we sat down on the floor to a few hands of gin rummy (Millhauser, 2009) for them, any obsession in a moment can become uninteresting.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that, despite the rather sad end of the story, the story is perhaps the most revealing in the entire collection. Millhauser shows people who cease being in some way. In this story, a regular high school student has a rise in popularity due to her gift for orgasmic laughing among the towns teenage population one summer. However, this popularity is short-lived after her friends abandon her to join the communitys sobbing.