This Beautiful Life Helen Shulman Analysis

“This Beautiful Life” showcased many aspects of social issues. One aspect that stood out to me is the struggles of teens in their surroundings. Teenagers are growing to figure out who they are and their surrounding, such as the people around them, has a huge influence on their discovery. They need proper guidance and discipline to follow their rightful path. Sometimes it may not be good, but with the help of Helen Schulman’s realistic characters – Jake, Daisy, and Coco, teenagers of the 21st century are able to connect to them, their situations, and properly learn how they can change to make a better. Jake was a quiet boy who lived in Ithaca. He was usually on his own until he moved to Manhattan (Schulman 7). Once he entered Manhattan, his world turned upside down. He became friends with a group of guys who enjoyed drinking, smoking, and partying. Within that group of boys, was a person named Henry. Henry lived in the same …show more content…
Some people praised him, while others degraded him. Someone who praised Jake was Zach Bledsoe. He was saying that Jake was the “embodiment of the contemporary male” (150). Zach is saying that the embodiment of a male should be to portray women as a show. On the other hand, Audrey did not show any affection towards Jake. Behind his back, she called him unchivalrous. Directly at him, she said “You are just an idiot boy” (161). Audrey was offended and claimed to never be in a relationship again. Due to the video, he has lost all chances he had with Audrey and has to walk on a tight rope to keep himself in school. Viral videos can go anywhere and reach anyone. Even if it’s in a very weird way, viral videos can reach anyone, like children. Jake has a younger sister named Coco. She is a kindergartner and was trying to be protected from all of the chaos. Her parents tried to distract her by taking her out to play and do a lot of activities. When they couldn’t take her out, she