The Devil’s Playground represents a significant detail in life of Amish youth who reach the age of 16. This documentary by Lucy Walker describes the choices that are proposed to Amish youngsters in terms of Rumspringa, a so-called rite of a passage (Walker). The film provides the picture of the Amish reality going on in minds of young people who are able to touch upon “English” way of life. The film provides a set of new opportunities that are suggested to youngsters.
To make it clear, Rumspringa gives an opportunity to a young man who reached age of 16 years to drive a car, to visit parties, to listen to rock music, even to use alcohol, tobacco, drugs and to practice pre-marital sex. It is done, precisely, to let youth make up a right decision before their adulthood through baptizing. It is also the way to think of the way of life a man chooses before marrying and baptizing. The world outside is the devil’s playground when the rules and norms within people around become more vague and typically amoral. The examples of Faron, Velda and Walker are specially discussed to show how leisure choices have impacted their lives off.
- Faron, a preacher’s son holds a leading position among the youngsters identified in the documentary (Walker). He actively uses drugs and has some problems thereafter. His desire to stay with the “English” lifestyle principles overcomes his expectations. A really compelling challenge of living the life he wants to live gives him a feeling of freedom from church. His passion for drugs aligns him with ordinary boys and girls from outside who are lucky to choose the way to live and behave. Nevertheless, even under the threat of being out of church and shunned by parents forever, he does not give up in his appreciation of leisure life outside. One may say that he enjoyed his Rumspringa utterly.
- Velda, one of the girls who described in the documentary as an assiduous one following the notations of her parents and adults at large. Her desire to feel adulthood as such surpasses her expectations. She never used make-up, and now it becomes one of those things she can do easily. Her desire to visit a party with loud rock music and youth saying curse words every now and then drives her to cross the border. She experiences the charms of life outside the church. She comes back and, then, makes a decision to leave the church for the so-called devil’s playground. Thus, she becomes shunned by her parents and misunderstood largely (Walker).
- Walker, is another instance of adolescents who voluntarily agreed to get through Rumspringa. Thus, this guy experiences what the society suggests and what is opened to be used easily. To run the gamut of Walker’s decision making process, he actually denies coming back to church to get baptized. Thus, along with Faron and Velda Walker becomes one of the fewer outcomes who stayed in the devil’s playground.
All in all, Rumspringa proves the idea that adolescents cannot get out from the church in the world they scarcely know. Lucy Walker shaped the peculiarities of Amish youth as concerned with their decision making before going into adulthood. Faron, Velda, and Walker have made up their minds to leave the way they lived in order to choose, perhaps, the worse lifestyle.
Works cited
Walker, Lucy. The Devil’s Playground. Stick Figures Productions, 77 minutes, 2001.