Summary

As the cliché goes, Art imitates life, and hence what we read is usually a reflection of what we go through in real life. The of the article being summarized, Gerard Jones brings his own perspective to the debate over whether we should let children soak in comics and stories that feature violence or instead cocoon our kids from violent comics and stories and insulate them from the “ real world”. The author certainly makes interesting observations about how he went through the “ rites of passage” starting from being an insulated kid himself to discovering the world of Hulk and other superheroes. In the process of describing his “ coming of age” experiences, he makes a persuasive case for not depriving our children of comics and stories that have an element of violence embedded in them. The article is certainly worth the effort of reading and it did indeed take me back a few years to my own growing up experiences.
While one may agree or disagree with the author’s contentions, he certainly provides background research and additional sources to buttress his claims. The larger point that he is trying to convey is that in this age of hyper competition and a world that is essentially ruthless and violent, exposing kids to the real world should be done sooner rather than later. Instead of the teens realizing that the world is not all “ Milk and Honey” through a painful process of coming to terms with the realities, it is better to let them have an inkling of what is in store for them when they become adults by letting them soak in Marvel comics and stories of superheroes that depict the world in Eastman color by their allusions of good vs. evil parables, their stories of exploits of courage and altruism along with patriotism. In conclusion, Jones’ makes valid points though as in real life, the choice as to whether one agrees with him or not, rests with us.