For this week’s reading, I chose a part of the novel found in Chapter 19 of Adolescence. Elena is in high school and it is the first time she truly expresses personal feelings of strength, power, and almost a sovereignty over Lila. Elena is extremely successful in her studies and gains the respect of all of the teachers and many students. Elena is at a place in her life where she finally feels comfortable and not necessarily inferior to those around her, especially Lila.

Elena states, “During that period I felt strong” (pg 163). She continues and expresses a feeling that “Sometimes I even had the impression that it was Lila who depended on me and not I on her. I had crossed the boundaries of the neighborhood, I went to high school, I was with boys and girls who were studying Latin and Greek.” It seems as though Elena almost with her new life she has surpassed Lila, who spends her time surrounded by the less sophisticated class of “construction workers, mechanics, cobblers, grocers, and shoemakers” (163). Elena continues to acknowledge that when Lila speaks to her she sees “with increasing clarity that it made her somewhat uneasy as if it were ultimately she who felt the need to continuously prove that she could talk to me as an equal” (164).

I find this to be a very significant time in the book. Up until this point, Elena has felt inferior to Lila regarding many aspects of life. High school is the one thing that Elena thrives in and she doesn’t have to worry about the threat of Lila stealing the attention. Elena is moving on and exploring life outside the neighborhood, which is something Lila does not have the privilege to do.