The Terrible Two

Feeling a sense of belonging is an important part of the human experience and is particularly important to adolescents as they seek to find their place in the world. It is in the period of adolescence when young people begin to search for an identity separate from their parents and seek to define their persona. For Miles Murphy, pranking is not only a form of self-expression, but it is also how he defines himself. Moving to a new town and a new school causes Miles anxiety as he knows that social rules mean he must decide who he will be on day one. Resisting the compulsion to conform to group dynamics or stereotypes, Miles desires to remain true to himself and maintain his identity as a prankster. However, Miles’s internal monologue reveals that he puts a lot of pressure on himself to keep his identity, as he thinks that if he is not a prankster, then he’s no one. By giving the reader a glimpse into Miles’s troubled thoughts, the authors reveal the pressures adolescents face when trying to find their place amongst their peers. Through the novel, the authors assert that defining identity, though a necessary part of the coming-of-age process, is not without its pain.