ABSTRACT
In Ghost World, a recent high school graduate named Enid (Thora Birch) struggles to figure out how best to progress into an adult world where she sees no plausible fit. This chapter focuses on Enid's engagement with music, although her search for identity, depth, and authenticity in music ultimately fails to meet her expectations or provide a satisfactory portal into a more meaningful version of her life. It discusses Enid's use of punk rock to rebel against what she perceives as Rebecca's pull towards traditionally vapid adulthood. Enid is simultaneously attempting to resist entry into an uncertain adulthood and to avoid what she sees as the only path available – a capitalist society in which individuals attempt to attain happiness through consumption. Ghost World's presentation of musical taste also draws on shared cultural knowledge of music genres to contrast different shades of whiteness and highlight ties between race and gender.
