Vanishing Act - Paul Collins (Analysis)

In this essay, Vanishing Act Paul Collins writes a short biography about a child-writing prodigy in the 1920s, Barbara Follett. He writes about her early success as a nine-year old and her unfortunate downfall in life after her father left her and her mother when Barbara was fourteen. A creative nonfiction professor at Portland State University, author of nine books, and “literary detective” on television, Collins effectively engages the reader in the story of this young girl, her talent and the ultimate tragic circumstances of her life. His purpose for writing this piece is to inform and educate readers that the reality of being a child prodigy is not as charmed as generally assumed. In fact, the very nature of being a child prodigy, and its accompanying acclaim, frequently causes the prodigy’s later misfortunes. Once the child grows up, he/she is no longer a prodigy, and the lack of normalcy in childhood frequently leads to the inability to cope with life’s inevitable challenges. Throughout the essay, Collins provides multiple examples of other child prodigies to support his contention. Bobby Fischer, Zerah Colburn, and Mozart all faced hardship, unhappiness or worse, as they grew up. The author’s use of foreshadowing successfully prepares us for Follett’s inevitably sad future. For example, Collins explains that Folletts’s very first character, Eepersip, is a roamer, a runaway, who eventually disappears into the woods. Similarly, when faced with hardship and discontent, Barbara ran away from home, roamed through Europe and the West Coast and, in the end, disappeared into thin air. Collins also uses irony as a way of persuading the reader of her purpose. He includes a criticism of one woman who wrote how Barbara should not be getting so much attention as a child because it can ruin her chances of success in the future. It is ironic because Barbara responded basically saying the woman had no idea what she was talking about. In my opinion, Paul Collins presents a convincing argument that child prodigies frequently lack the internal resources to cope with ordinary life. With no specific audience intended I found the essay fascinating.

This image is of the cover of Barbara Follett's first book. Within the cover is the main character, Eepership, whom I believe shares the same fate as Follett. A runaway who pushes away anyone she could ever care about, and eventually just disappears. 

SOURCE: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6256913-the-house-without-windows