In her short story “Teenage Wasteland”, Anne Tyler uses powerful words and phrases to bring characters to life. This short story is about teenagers going through troubles of their own. Tyler uses characters such as Donny to explain the message of this story. For example, the phrase “Matt and Daisy still look for him in every crowd of awkward, heartbreaking teenage boys.” This shows that there are other people just like Donny who could be going through similar situations like him. This quote is powerful because we know that Donny isn’t the only person going through tough times, his parents are as well by trying to raise a family. In the beginning of the story the author gives us insight into what Donny’s life is like at home which could impact
