Big Mouth and Ugly Girl

Big Mouth and Ugly Girl.

Big Mouth Ugly Girl. ISBN 978-0-06-447347-7. Joyce Carol Oates. 2002. Ages 13-18. Contemporary Realistic Fiction. Caucasian youth. Middle-class. Suburban.

Matt Donaghy is a junior in high school; he makes remarks to friends in the cafeteria about blowing the school and killing many people. Unidentified students report to the principal, who in turn informs the police. Matt is interrogated, released (not charged) but is suspended from school for three days. Ursula, an active basketball player goes against her parent’s word and tells the principal that she overheard the remarks and they were just jokes. Matt is struggling to deal with all peers, teachers and even his family, who have sued the school. The media is to blame for all these negative impressions created in these people’s minds. Matt reaches out to Ursula and through emails he shares with her his frustrations, shock and humiliations of the incident. Together they are able to deal with and overcome the hostility of their community at large.
This novel is realistic and complex. These are experiences that many of us would testify to, being an outcast in school, facing difficulties with parents, friends loyalty or just having no one to talk to about a pressing issue. As for the threats to bomb the school or shoot the teachers or students, these are fears that every learning institution takes precautions against because they happen and always unexpected. The book thus takes some common problems and current events and shows how it might impact the youth.

Critique
The author develops the plot that takes us through this time of adolescents where relationships can change in a second, where friendship or partnership is present today and is lost forever the very next day. In this novel we meet students who are in great relationships only until something stirs-the-pot and things turn out differently. Matt a very hardworking, extrovert and loved student is suddenly faced with a situation that he does not comprehend. In less than a few hours he is all by himself rejected by friends and even teachers. This is an accurate portrayal of the society we live in. Ursula feels dejected and is forced to quit her basketball team because of the thoughts of not fitting in. The two eventually discover and offer each other solace. Coupled with the plot, the setting of the novel is adequate and an environment that the reader can relate to; the school environment, the home setting and the park.

Joyce Oates develops relevant themes that are part of teenage adolescence. Body image is a sensitive issue in the book and has a negative influence on their personalities just as it does to the youth today. Ursula, due to her body size finds comfort in being aggressive to avoid being teased. It is very important for the students to fit in and the only way they deem it right is by looking athletic, as for the girls it is more of being beautiful in a trim body.
The author uses an interesting style of writing which brings out the unique structure of the book. It is divided into two perspectives, Ursula's and Matt's. It changes from chapter to chapter, so that the reader knows what both main characters think over a special situation. We learn so much about Matt through the emails he sends Ursula although he deletes some before sending. I think this is a deliberate move by the author to show the conflicts in Matt’s mind as was with Ursula.
The language used is reader friendly and depicts a true adolescent’s language. Alternating between the Ugly Girl and the Big Mouth, we experience their teenage self-absorption mixed with feelings of powerlessness, frustration, and anger as they journey in an investigative adult world and in an equally malicious student population.
The characters are unique yet realistic. These are characters that we see or hear about in our day today world. Ursula represents the girls in the society that walk around feeling inadequate because of their body images yet they find a way of making others recognize their presence or give them the respect they deserve. She lives her life the way she wants to, she does not really have much respect for other people, and she thinks about herself a lot. She dresses the way she wants, acts the way she wants and doesn't worry about having friends. Most of these girls use crude ways or just like Ursula the close out the rest of the world and become introverts. Matt on the other hand represents the students who are popular, hardworking and creative. When faced with an issue they deteriorate and are shattered, thus becoming introverts and periodically thinks of suicide. At the end the novels shows that it doesn't matter how different or similar people's personalities are and that it doesn't affect your friendship.
I think my favorite thing about the book is that I really got to know the characters, they seem like real people. It's one of those books that you miss the characters after it's over. Personally I felt like I was together with them in this journey and each step of the way I gave suggestions.
As a teacher this is a book I would highly recommend for my students. This book tackles a teenager’s daily worries and struggles. It might not give them solutions but will definitely give them ideas regardless of, if they are Matt, Ursula, the twins or the rest of the school population. This book addresses issues of impulsive behavior, peer pressure and parent-child relationship.