The excitement of doing something you shouldn't

Benji's adventure of trying to get into the eighteen-only club is a classic teenage adventure in my opinion. Of course as a teenager I don't know what other adventures come after, but this is the kind I can relate to. As a teenager I've enjoyed pushing the boundaries and tip-toeing the line of what I can or can't do (or get away with), and I see that reflected here. But all the adventures I've had along these lines have been spontaneous-- I've never gone into the intense planning to pull off such an operation. Benji describes him and NP planning for days, weeks even, on how they'll pull it off. NP works on bribing the bouncer for a while, and Benji practices his adult persona (that one I can relate to). 

In the end, they manage to get in without trouble, and Benji to this day remembers the incident as "a caper that didn't go wrong for once" (I can't find where, but I'm 99% sure he says this). It also signifies them having come of age to the point where they could pass as adults if they try hard enough, and the people on the other end are willing to make slight accommodations. I can definitely relate to trying to do something only adults are allowed to do, and the thrill of actually succeeding (though in hindsight, my "adult" impression could use some serious work). The excitement and adrenaline in the moment when you don't know what's gonna happen is something else. Once it's been done though, the thing you've actually achieved usually isn't that spectacular. The thing that makes it spectacular is that you aren't supposed to be doing it. 

Comments

  1. Andrea LiMay 22, 2023 at 10:41 AM

    I really like the idea you bring up about how the experience of pretending to have come of age and posing as an adult is a common part of the coming of age process itself. There are clear milestones you reach to indicate you have come of age, like being old enough to enter club, but maybe something more exciting is being old enough to sneak in with an adult disguise and succeed at it. Great post!

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  2. AnnieMay 22, 2023 at 12:14 PM

    I like how you relate Benji's experiences to your own life. I agree that getting away with things can be a magical experience, and I am especially glad that Benji gets to experience it, considering how many things have gone wrong for him over that summer.

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  3. Zhaoxin SunMay 25, 2023 at 10:39 AM

    Awesome post! This definitely hit nostalgia for me because I've been given a decent amount of freedom in my teenage years that I don't need to scheme anymore, but I remember whispering plans to my brother to sneak down and watch TV after our parents were asleep, or trying all sorts of methods to figure out our parents' new phone passwords.

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