By: Linda Jiang
Expectations are dangerous. It can give someone hope and kill them in an instant. It feeds on frustration and is an unhealthy attachment to things, people, and situations that we cannot control. The novel “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” by Emily M. Danforth is not your typical cook-cutter saga of teenagers finding their identity. Cameron knows who she is right off the bet but is limited by the expectations of her aunt Ruth and others around her. And because of these expectations, a shadow of guilt glooms over Cameron after her parents’ death.
Before Cameron’s parent’s death at Quake Lake in the summer of 1989, Cameron Post is just another pre-teen trying to figure out her identity in the small, rural town of Miles City, Montana. Coincidentally, during the night Cameron and her best friend Irene kiss, she learns of her parent’s death and believes that the kiss was its cause. At first, it appears odd that she would make such connections, but it all clicked when I saw the location and date. Nothing against small towns, but from personal experience, small towns are exclusive. They are judgemental against those who are slightly different and deem them as irregular. It appears that it is normal for people in the small towns to attend the same Sunday church, follow the same trend, and go to the same school. They try to keep everyone the same and emphasize on communities. So what does all of this have to do with limiting Cameron? Ever since Cameron was a child, she wasn’t one of your typical girly-girl who likes princesses and dress; Cameron is your so-called “tomboy.” But it is registered into her head at a young age that things are supposed to be a certain way. This is why, despite having a good grasp of who she is, Cameron didn’t come out directly but instead chose to hide it and test the water. I’m sure this is extremely relatable to those from small towns, where it’s tough to find your true self because you’re limited by others’ expectations to be the same. And even if the individual discovers who they indeed are, it is nearly impossible to convince others that you’re not a monster. Cameron choosing to blame herself for kissing Irene, perfectly demonstrates how expectations are caging her. Because Cameron isn’t the same as others, she sees it as a punishment from above and casts a shadow of guilt over herself for her parents’ death.
Cameron’s encounter with Jamie is quite controversial. Jamie ends up confronting Cameron about her sexuality. All of this is fine, but when Jamie insists Cameron on trying to date him because he thinks Cameron liking girls is a phase, I furrowed my brows. I understand that Jamie is your typical rural town boy who goes to Sunday church and has never seen anyone different. Jamie holds the same expectations as others around him, so he is in denial that Cameron could ever like girls. But the fact that Jamie thinks he can “save” Cameron gives me a very narcissistic aura. It’s even more upsetting that he sees it as a disease. Nonetheless, Cameron ends up dating him because it’s a good cover-up for who she is. Once again, Cameron is being limited by the expectations of others to be the same; straight.
Ruth becomes Cameron’s legal guardian after her parents’ death, but she has caused more harm than good. Ruth and Cameron are like two parallel lines that will never meet; she is the epitome of the word conservative. “I didn’t know Aunt Ruth, not like I knew Grandma Post. We saw each other usually just once a year, maybe twice, and it was always fine, nice enough: She’d give me clothes I probably wouldn’t end up wearing…She was just my mom’s sister who lived in Florida and who had fairly recently been born again…something my parents rolled their eyes at when they spoke of” (27). Ruth is very much different from Cameron’s biological parents. She is a conservative and feminine woman that follows societal expectations. It would have been fine if she just kept her beliefs to herself, but she forced it on Cameron. Ruth expects Cameron to be the same as other girls at her age, wearing feminine clothes and having pet names. She is either completely oblivious or chooses to ignore the fact that Cameron hates all of that.
On the other hand, if Cameron were with her biological parents, no gender roles and societal expectations would be enforced upon her because she could live the way she wants before her parents’ death. Not only does Ruth enforce her societal expectations on Cameron, but she also expects Cameron to follow the same religious beliefs. Rather than the original Presbyterian Church Cameron goes to, Ruth made Cameron attend Gate of Praise. And it was Ruth that sent Cameron to God’s Promise after finding out about her sexuality. Ruth thinks that Cameron is broken and can be fixed, but little does she know that God’s Promise is a hell hole. During her time in God’s Promise, Cameron begins to accept her fate and strays further and further away from her true self. Ruth is truly the mastermind behind it all. If she did not compel her societal expectations and beliefs on to Cameron, Cameron wouldn’t have to feel criminalized for the way she’s feeling. And If Cameron’s parents were still alive, Cameron would have been comfortable in her skin rather than looking for another.
It is ubiquitous in society for people to judge one another with one glance. People hold prejudice against those who are different and want to change them to fit their expectations. But what if they walked in the others’ shoes for a day? They will find out that it isn’t a crime to be different. They are also normal human beings who have emotions and needs. Differences should be embraced rather than seen as an atrocity. There’s no fault in loving someone; love is love. Moreover, what’s the fun in being all the same?
Work Cited
Akhavan, Desiree, et al. The Miseducation of Cameron Post. HarperCollins, 2016.
Representing Adolescence @ Pitt 