Egan, Sasha, and Questionable Adulthood: The Downfall of American Democracy as Told by Punk Rock Meghan Edwards College

If you look up “America” in Jennifer Egan’s personal dictionary, you would probably discover an entry similar to this: “America /əˈmɛrɪkə / noun: A decaying, nervous country that would be the perfect allegorical topic of a novel. Synonyms: Sasha Blake, punk rock.” Egan’s book, A Visit From the Goon Squad, deals with many facets of life including time, relationships, family, and the changing music industry — but underneath it all is a thread of commonality: a relation to America and its history. Egan uses differences in characteristics between children, adolescents, and adults, specifically seen through Sasha’s character development, to make a statement on the changing nature of America over time and its weakened modern state.

Egan portrays childhood in a paradoxically mature fashion, establishing a connection to America’s strong beginnings. Young Sasha is particularly independent. Despite pressure from her family, she refuses to do anything she does not want to, such as wear a white sailor hat intended to save her fair skin from the sun, and maintains strength in everything she does, appearing far beyond her years. Sasha never allows even her feuding parents to shake her confidence — as it normally would to a developing...