Joey Evans Mr. Milroy English 10 Honors 17 January 2023 The Loss of Authenticity The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth dives into the world of cliques, friend groups, bullies, and social status in high school. Author Alexandra Robbins explores the lives of several different high school students, including Whitney. Whitney is a member of the popular group, the hostile clique that excludes others and makes fun of people in different groups. She wants to be a part of the punks; however, if she joins the punks, she will forever be excluded from the popular group. Throughout The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth, Whitney’s moral ambiguity in her situation reveals a theme of avoiding conformity and herd mentality. Whitney clearly shows moral ambiguity when Robbins interviews her after her first day of school. Although Whitney never really says anything to her friend group, she later tells Robbins that “I have to be this way because it’s what my friends do” (31). The way Whitney “has” to be is a perfectionist, constantly worrying about her looks and status. When she …show more content…
Whitney’s dilemma allows the reader to see how she is morally ambiguous; she isn’t necessarily right or wrong because she doesn’t know what the right or wrong decision is. Robbins takes the idea a step further and shows why Whitney’s moral ambiguity is important. Whitney doesn’t simply represent herself or her friend group. Rather, she represents thousands of students across the country facing a similar situation. These students know what it is like to be a part of a group that they do not feel they belong in. They do not know what the right or wrong decision is. By illustrating a theme of avoiding conformity in Whitney’s story, Robbins hopes to guide these indecisive students to join a group that most allows them to be their authentic