Ageism in Literature
Ageism in literature refers to the negative portrayal and stereotypical representations of elderly characters, which contribute to societal prejudices against older individuals. Such portrayals often depict older characters as physically unattractive, confused, and lonely, reinforcing the idea that aging is something to be feared or ridiculed. For instance, literature frequently features elderly individuals described with frailties such as poor hearing or failing health, as seen in works like Robert Inman's "Old Dogs and Children." Additionally, themes like the quest for eternal youth are common, as demonstrated in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment," where aging characters yearn for the vitality of their youth.
Moreover, even sympathetic representations of older characters tend to highlight their eccentricities or childlike wisdom while often framing them in a humorous light. The impact of ageism extends beyond fictional narratives; it can also influence the self-perception of older adults, leading many to internalize negative stereotypes. Studies indicate that a significant portion of older individuals may accept these negative portrayals as reflective of their own realities. Overall, the representation of age in literature plays a crucial role in shaping both societal attitudes and individual identities regarding aging.
Ageism in Literature
At Issue
Like all forms of prejudice, ageism influences the popular image of a group of people in a negative way that allows them to be categorized as less than human. Discriminatory cartoons, films, and television shows categorizing old people as lonely, confused, and unattractive perpetuate the myth that growing old is something to dread. Such myths, according to psychiatrist Robert Butler, reflect a profound prejudice against the elderly that goes beyond a classic fear of old age to “unreasonable fear and/or hatred of old people.”
Negative Images in Literature
In most instances elderly characters are depicted as physically unattractive or infirm, with wrinkled skin, failing eyesight, and poor hearing. In the Robert Inman novel Old Dogs and Children (1991), a girl attends a party with her mother, where she observes some “frightfully old” women—one of them with dark liver spots on her arms, who is hard of hearing, cups her hand behind her ear, and speaks in a loud voice. Another woman, who has dark facial hair on her upper lip, is constantly out of breath. An elderly servant is described as “a gnarled old prune.” Such characterizations are all too common.
With so many negative images, the dread of old age has become ingrained to the point that literature often seeks to avoid it by resorting to a fountain of youth theme. In such stories, old people relive their youth. This technique, depicted in the film Cocoon (1985), was also used by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the story “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment,” first published in 1837. A group of characters described as “three old, withered grandshires . . . contending for the skinny ugliness of a shriveled grandam” suffer the illusion that they are returned to youthful vigor after they drink water provided by the mysterious doctor.
In addition, elderly characters are often described as confused and disoriented. Twentieth-century author Katherine Anne Porter, in her short story “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” describes Granny Weatherall as unclear about the present and the past as she faces the last day of her life. When she remembers her daughter Hapsy holding a child, she mistakes her for herself holding Hapsy. She is incoherent about events, selective in memory, and mistaken about identities. In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” a short story by Flannery O’Connor, a grandmother’s confused memory and lack of restraint lead to disaster for the family when she misdirects them on a journey and then thoughtlessly identifies a criminal to his face. Even old characters who are depicted in a sympathetic light are often presented as old and funny, or old but cute, perhaps possessing a childlike wisdom not understood by others.
When older characters reminisce about past experiences, more often than not their failures are reviewed. In Ernest Hemingway’s “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” a writer on the point of death thinks of his wasted life and regrets the stories he did not write. Regrets also come to an old man—nearsighted and hard of hearing—in Samuel Beckett’s play Krapp’s Last Tape (1958), when the old man listens to events recorded on his thirty-ninth birthday, thirty years before. “Perhaps my best years are gone. When there was a chance of happiness,” he says. Above all, old people are categorized as lonely and isolated. The lonely, elderly woman in “Miss Brill,” by Katherine Mansfield, observes other people on a park bench as looking as “though they’d just come from dark little rooms or even closets.” Ironically the description fits Miss Brill herself, but she is unaware of her condition until she is called a “stupid old thing” by a young person—with company—nearby. Stung by the realization of her image, she returns to her own dark little room.
Implications for Identity
Ageism not only influences the popular image of the elderly, but also affects the self-view of older people, who may adopt the negative definitions of themselves based on the perceptions of others. In one survey, half the people over sixty-five questioned accepted negative images of the elderly, shown on television, as accurate.
Bibliography
Ansello, Edward F. "Age and Ageism in Children's First Literature." Educational Gerontology, vol. 2, no. 3, 1977, pp. 255–74, doi:10.1080/0360127770020305. Accessed 22 Aug. 2019
Butler, Robert N. Why Survive: Being Old in America. New York: Harper & Row, 1975.
Friedan, Betty. The Fountain of Age. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993.
Friend, Tad. "Why Ageism Never Gets Old." The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2017, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/11/20/why-ageism-never-gets-old. Accessed 22 Aug. 2019.