Adrian enter's adulthood
This continues on with the tradition of the first book that Townsend wrote and follows Adrian's life as he continues to struggle as a teenager in Britain in the 1980s. The series does continue on right up to the Iraq War and it appears that throughout his life he is madly in love with a woman named Pandora (I don't think that she is his first girlfriend, but I believe that he dumped his first girlfriend for Pandora). It seems that the idea is that Adrian Mole is a loser that seems to make predictions that never turn out the way he believes they will.
I guess I can relate to Adrian somewhat, and it is probably closer than I feel comfortable with because I was still behaving quite childishly even a couple of years ago. We all face struggles and problems though, and we all deal with them differently. I remember speaking to somebody once who said that the best thing he did was to move interstate because even though he loved his parents, he had to get away from their influence and learn to become his own person.
However this is interesting that in the world in which we now live this is possible. It used to be the case that unless you were wealthy, then you would be born, live with, and die in the same village among the same people. I guess this has changed with the more mobile nature of our world. We see this in modern American culture where it is expected that the child leave home at eighteen, and even move a considerable distance from their parents. I suspect that this is not only a result on the individualist nature of our society, but also reflects, and is probably responsible, for the breakdown of the family unit.
The breakdown of the family unit is something that is explored in the Adrian Mole books, and at one point it simply becomes quite weird. The idea of the dysfunctional family (if there is actually such a thing as a functional family) is also explored. I guess this may be the result of us ditching our traditional morality or honour and loyalty. However, it is not necessarily the result of children rebelling against parents, but also of parents neglecting the children. Children, in may cases, are a hassle and a burden. They are unproductive and are a drain on resources, and when they grow up to become productive members of society (if they ever do, since the youth unemployment rate is quite high) they do not repay what they have earned. In fact, it almost appears that as an investment, children are the worst one people can make.
Then there is the issue of unemployment. Adrian Mole struggles with unemployment and low paid jobs as well as shattered dreams. He wishes to write a novel, and also considers himself an intellectual, however he appears to be forever ignored amongst the intelligentsia. Pandora is a member of the intelligentsia, but she seems to prefer people that are much more socially aware than he his. Despite his claims to being an intellectual, Adrian Mole is, in reality, naive.
I do wonder if Pandora was given that name because of the concept of Pandora's box. In a way Adrian did not have any choice when she came into his life, she simply appeared, but once she appeared, Mole's life was never going to be the same again. Maybe it is because of his infatuation with her, and maybe it is because he simply could not let go of her. I have been in situations like that, but thankfully I have managed to let go and walk away. I remember when I finally walked away from one of my pasts, and in walking away I actually became stronger. I have now walked away from the town of my youth, and once again feel stronger, and in a way much freer. Yes, I may have a sucky job, but with all the other blessings that I have received, this does not seem to be all that much.
