Welcome to the cruel world. And the English Department is not afraid to admit it. Though I think there is more to life, I'm not afraid to admit it either. I've noticed throughout my high school career, having seven English teachers in seven semesters, that pretty much every book I've read in this school has made me want to slash my wrists, or at least drink myself into a drunken, depressed stupor. Pam Perryman, English Department coordinator, said the incredibly high ratio of depressing books compared to uplifting ones wasn't really a conscious decision.
People get bored with happiness.
That's why we have moved on from books like The Magic School Bus and The Cat in the Hat to Of Mice and Men , Death of a Salesman and The Great Gatsby . Besides, literature is a way of dealing with problems and venting frustrations. Many authors write because they are stirred by emotions from within, and this often happens when the author is depressed or agitated because such emotions tend to make one more introspective and full of thought. I, for one, almost never write anything creative when my life is going well. There is a silver lining to all of the sadness and ugliness that's being taught to us in our classes, however.