34 pages • 1 hour read
This Is Our Youth
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Themes
The Disillusionment of Adulthood
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual content and substance use.
Adulthood is both a terrifying and freeing state for the characters. While it means leaving the illusions and naivety of childhood behind, it also means having the opportunity to forge one’s own path. This freedom is daunting for protagonists Dennis and Warren, and secondary character Jessica. Dennis and Warren are both lost in their lives, directionless, and caught up in the pursuit of sex, drugs, and money. Dennis lives in a semi-empty apartment that could be packed up at any moment, and he has little commitment to any particular place or person. Warren is the opposite; he is so committed to the things he cares about that he takes them with him wherever he goes. A collection of old memorabilia reminds him of his childhood and connects him to his more innocent self.
The play is a snapshot of the listlessness and confusion that individuals experience as they transition to adulthood. Dennis and Jessica are both painfully aware of how fleeting their youth is. As Dennis often reminds Warren: “I’m providing you with precious memories of your youth, for when you’re fuckin’ old” (31). Jessica feels that the person she is now is going to be a stranger to her in a few years and expresses this fear to Warren: “Like right now you’re all like this rich little pot-smoking burnout rebel, but ten years from now you’re gonna be like a plastic surgeon reminiscing about how wild you used to be” (57). They look at photos of Warren on Dennis’s wall, and he hardly looks like the same person. Jessica finds this fact discomforting, while Warren is sure that he will always be the person he is now. Warren’s resistance toward disillusionment comes in the form of his recklessness. As much as he may want a better future, he doesn’t really believe that will ever happen.
When Dennis finds out about Stuey’s overdose, it is like being slapped in the face with reality; he has no choice but to admit to himself that he has been wasting his life until now. Dennis always prioritized his reputation, his friends, and his drugs, and none of that has led him anywhere. He is desperate to overcome futility, to form an identity, and to live a life of purpose.
The Pointless Pursuit of Materialism
The play illustrates how wealth provides temporary pleasures and superficial gains that ultimately do not fulfill a person. The characters in the play come from wealthy backgrounds and each exhibits their own sense of entitlement and superficiality. Warren is the only one who actively attempts to resist this, though he is still human and succumbs almost as easily as Dennis. Superficiality is at the center of conflict in Dennis and Warren’s world. While Dennis portrays a fake version of himself to impress others, Warren finds Dennis’s condescension irritating and insulting. Jessica similarly puts on a persona. She acts like she has high standards and strong morals but ends up succumbing to the same superficial temptations as Warren and Dennis. Privilege has jaded the three youth, and none of them feel happy or fulfilled in their current life.
Warren expresses a desire to leave the city, escape materialism, and live in the quiet peace of the countryside. He explains how his father’s tireless pursuit of material gain did not protect him or his children in the end: “But when he was at the height of his powers, he totally lost control of his own daughter, and she ended up getting beaten to death” (127-28). He knows that there is no long-term satisfaction to be found in money and power. He possesses this knowledge despite his environment, family, and peers, rather than because of them.
Dennis’s parents exemplify the problematic nature of capitalism during the Reagan era. They compete over their careers and treat one another with disrespect. There is a lack of love between them, and Dennis’s mother emotionally abuses his father in his fragile state. Dennis absolutely despises the tension in his family and wants as little to do with his parents as possible. He can clearly see and feel their unhappiness and knows that material wealth did them few favors in the end.
While nothing about Jessica’s family background is revealed, it is clear she feels a similar cynicism and seeks something “more,” though it is also clear she has no clue where to find it. She is enticed by gifts, money, and fancy hotels, even though she sees herself as being beyond all of that. In the end, Dennis sees the flaws in his current lifestyle, while Warren remains firm in his ideas of a quiet life.
Letting Go of the Past
Warren, Dennis, and Jessica each struggle with leaving behind their childhood in their own way. Their struggles affect their interpersonal dynamics, their beliefs, and how they feel about themselves and one another. Warren’s sister was murdered a decade ago, and he still grieves the loss because of the way it continues to affect his family. He collects memorabilia from the 1950s and 1960s, a time he considered simpler and sweeter.
Dennis’s struggle lies in his reluctance to mature. He is stuck in his current situation with no understanding of how to move forward. In the opening scene he watches an old black and white movie on TV, as though he is firmly planted in the past. Finally, Jessica is always nervous and agitated, as though the events of her past influence her every thought and action. Like Warren, she too longs for her childhood.
Dennis hates being reminded of the past, because that part of his life is gone and it only forces him to consider his future. This is illustrated when Warren brings out his toy collection, and Dennis can’t stand to look at it. Warren, in contrast, finds the toys comforting, particularly his Major Matt Mason collection, which were toys he played with as a young boy. Looking at the toys brings out childlike wonder in Warren: “Aw, he’s the best! Check him out, he’s like, ready for his mission” (67). It is also likely that the toys remind him of when his sister, who died 10 years earlier, was still alive and able to experience the simple joys of childhood.
The toys remind Jessica that her identity and who she is at any given moment is fleeting, and that she will one day fail to recognize the person she is now: “It just makes you realize that there’s just these huge swaths of time in your life that didn’t register at all, and that you might just as well have been dead during them for all the difference they make to you now” (61). Jessica understands Warren’s nostalgia, and it is one of the primary mechanisms through which they bond. The toys make her feel longing and melancholy.
By deciding to sell his collection, Warren demonstrates his willingness to let go of the past, however difficult it may be. He understands that his mistakes are his own to bear, and that he must find a way to recover the money he lost. Similarly, Dennis decides in the end that he has to quit using drugs if he wants to pursue any type of meaningful path forward. In doing so, he makes the decision to let go of his past self as well.
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