Wunderkind | Themes

Alienation and Loneliness
It is almost a convention for stories about adolescence to express themes of ‘‘alienation,’’ by presenting young characters who feel lost and overwhelmed by the pressures of their circumstances. While this may in part be an artistic stereotype of the teenager, it seems also to have some basis in reality: for most people, at least, the years just before adulthood are marked by intense, private emotions, and at least occasional feelings of isolation and confusion.

In ‘‘Wunderkind,’’ Frances seems paralyzed by her feelings and...


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