The effect of death awareness on the protagonists of selected adolescent novels

The purpose of this study was twofold: to determine if contemporary novels of adolescence were depitcing death in realistic rather than romantic or idealistic terms and to determine the role that death played in the maturation process of the adolescent protagonists in these works. The purpose of this study rested on three assumptions: (1) that a realistic acceptance of death is a necessary step in the adolescent's maturation process; (2) that adolescent novels which portray death realistically can serve as useful models for adolescent readers; (3) that a study of such adolescent works would help teachers and researchers in this field by providing them with specific insights into the psychology of death and dying in relationship to adolescent maturation.