One Thing Leads to Another

Author’s Note: Depression is a very dangerous and sensitive subject to some family’s especially when one of their own teens’ struggles from it. I will be talking about a book that I think hints to a case of teen depression due to bullying.

Imagine sitting on your couch, feeling as lifeless as a bag of bones, hopelessly depressed. This is how the main character in All Summer in a Day, Margot, felt. Margot was tortured at school  every day for trying to share with the other kids who don’t remember the sun, what it was like, how wonderful the glistening sun felt against their dull pale skin. The main character in All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury, Margot, shows through symbolism in the book that she is most likely in a state of depression due to constant bullying.

Margot used to live on earth like you and me, but when her dad got a job on Venus her whole life changed. On Venus it’s always raining except for two hours every year. When Margot moved there she was judged as spoiled, a know it all, just plain ignorant. Her classmates always picked on her and put her into a spiraling state of depression. Except for one day when the sun was supposed to come out she had been talking about it all day, and so her classmates decided to lock her in a closet and she never saw the sun. This part of the book is when Margot’s depression really seemed to stick out.

Margot is not the only teenager who struggles through depression. According to teendepression.org, about 20% of teens will struggle through depression before they reach adulthood. Most cases of depression come from bad friends, bullying, and broken homes and the main character Margot had two of three of those things. One thing that really surprises me is that Margot’s parents don’t even seem to notice that their daughter has no friends or self confidences, which are common traits in teens going through different phases of depression, like Margot.

Most causes of depression starts with a bully. According to martialartsforpeace.com, one of four kids are bullied and seventy-seven percent of student are bullied. Like in All Summer in a Day, Margot was bullied which cause her struggles with depression. She was bullied because she was different and more often than not, students are bullied for what makes them different or unique. Under no circumstances is bullying okay; it should be monitored throughout the school, because when teachers are looking, bullies don’t bully.

In the book All Summer in a Day, Ray Bradbury shows that Margot is going through a state of depression due to constant bullying and explains that through symbolism. Over 34,000 people die from suicide every year and currently suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States according to, http://theovernight.donordrive.com. Next time you see someone getting picked on or bullied think about the effects that has on the persons’ life because, bullying leads to depression and depression leads to suicide. Think about the effect your decision will have on their life.