In the novel Stardust by Neil Gaiman, there are multiple points throughout the story where it
collides with the real world despite being a fantasy genre.. Although it is a fantasy, it demonstrates the
importance of being a respectable and humble human being through the actions of the antagonistic
characters. It also conveys a message of the negative side of society’s standards, specifically, peer
pressure on teens. One of the most prevalent issues in modern day society is peer pressure and teens. In
this novel, the author does an efficient job of demonstrating real life issues despite the fact that it is a
Fiction. Fiction often reinforces the understanding of the negative effects of peer pressure.
Peer pressure can harm us mentally and physically. It can have a huge effect on someone, be it in
their mind or their body. Mental peer pressure can severely lower someone’s self-esteem/confidence
about themselves. It can especially cause them to take drastic measures to feel “comfortable” and
“normal” in their own skin again. An article from Psychology Today quotes, “How you act today will
have a huge impact on who your child becomes as an adult.” This can be applied to the Lilim in the
novel, where they are all old and apparently, have ‘lost all their youth’ The oldest sister quotes before
setting out on her quest “When I return with her heart, there will be years aplenty for all of us,”
The Lilim, consisting of three witches, wish to retain their youth by cutting out and consuming the
heart of the fallen star. They were somehow manipulated into believing that being youthful means
being “beautiful”. Even though they may have been influenced years ago, the three hags are still
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clutching on the the idea that beauty is defined by youth, and as a result, they are driven to take drastic
measures. The Lilim are so obsessed with their appearance that they were willing to murder a
completely innocent victim so they could fulfil their selfish wants.
Peer pressure can influence our values and beliefs. When peers pressurize someone to perform a certain
task, they are teaching that person many things with their words. Often, they will manipulate them to
believe that what they are forcing the person to do is the right thing to do. Peer pressure makes one
think in another person’s mind. An article from The Cord explains, “Peer pressure occurs when others
challenge your values and beliefs in a way that results with you doing something you would not
normally do.” This clarifies that going along with peer pressure means the same thing as losing the
significance of one’s own brain. This is relatable to when the hairy creature called “charmed” instructs
Tristran to never reveal his birth name to anyone in the forest while alone, even if that means going to
the extent of lying. He orders to Tristran, “ Listen son, whatever ‘ye do, DO NOT say ‘yer birth name,
‘ye hear me? Lie to them, deceive them, be vague I don’t care.” Tristran has to confirm with Charmed
to make sure if he actually meant lying, as in ‘dishonesty’. This proves that where Tristran comes from,
the town of Wall, dishonesty was not accepted at all, as it was such a foreign concept to him. It is clear
now that Charmed was really peer pressurizing Tristran into doing something he was not not
comfortable with. This proves that where Tristran comes from, the town of Wall, dishonesty was not
accepted at all, as it was such a foreign concept to him. Since he has learned this new thing, he will
undoubtedly repeat this and become familiar with the concept of deceit. As a result, he will become
dishonest and untrustworthy. Hence, peer pressure can more often than not influence our values and
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beliefs.
Peer pressure can have a negative effect on the people around the victim as well.
It is the result of the act of peer pressure that can cause this. When someone is being pressurized to do
something, and when they give in, their actions might hurt others in the process. For example, a person
can be affected negatively by peer pressure and it causes a negative change in their mood or behaviour.
When they are present around friends or family, they can pass on the pessimistic attitude towards
others. In most cases, the victim tends to separate themselves from their closest connections and be
comfortable only after some time with some coaxing and patience. In some cases, these results have a
possibility of bringing the victim and the friend/family member closer together. Carrie Silver-Stock, a
social worker, sat down for an interview with Love To Know and made an article. Upon being asked the
question ‘How does peer pressure affect academic performance and family life?’, she responded,
saying “Negative peer pressure might: increase distance from family members, result in less time spent
at home, increase in negative behaviours and attitude, and hurt communication skills.” Similarly,
Dunstan Thorne’s relationship with his son and especially his wife, are severed. It started at the Faerie
Market when Dunstan bought a snowdrop from the slave girl at the stall. As a gesture of gratitude, she
requested him, “Come to meet me at moon high behind the wall.” She compelled Dunstan to visit her at
night behind the wall. When he gave into her desires that night, Dunstan did not think of the
consequences of his actions at all. He married Daisy Wheel according to their parents’ and Daisy’s
wishes. He continued to live his life happily without telling a soul until he received a newborn on his
doorstep swaddled in blankets in a basket nine months later. Dunstan had to not only confess of his
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misdeeds to Daisy, and hurt her severely in the process, but he also put the child- Tristran’s life in
danger. It bruised Tristran’s innocent mind, knowing that he didn’t have his birth mother present with
him, and by the taunts and insults of the people around him due to the fact that he was the product of a
crime/sin. Evidently, people around the victim of peer pressure can also be harmed as a result of the
victim giving in to influences.
In conclusion, fiction often reinforces our understanding of the negative effects of peer pressure.
This is conveyed through demonstrations of how peer pressure can affect both mentally and physically,
can influence our values and beliefs, and also affect the people around the victim of peer pressure.
Although peer pressure has been present around teens for many years, it is becoming an increasingly
popular case due to how it’s affecting them. Sometimes the weight of this issue being acted upon them
can cause them to harm themselves in some way. Neil Gaiman does an efficient job of demonstrating
the red flags of an abusive relationship, and how it happens so one avoid in the near future.