Rejoicing in Adolescence: A Parable of God

This article explores the relationship between adolescence, aesthetics, and joy within historical, social, and theological frameworks. Beginning with G. Stanley Hall’s characterization of youth as a “golden stage” and Erik Erikson’s portrayal of identity formation as an artistic process, the analysis situates adolescence within aesthetic discourse. Yet, drawing on Marxian and Frankfurt School critiques, it highlights how capitalist rationalization commodifies youth, displacing intrinsic values of beauty, creativity, and joy. The study argues that adolescence historically carried an oppositional role, reminding society of intrinsic worth beyond market rationality, but is increasingly flattened by consumerist culture. To address this disenchantment, the article engages theological aesthetics, particularly Hans Urs von Balthasar’s conception of beauty as a manifestation of divine glory. Ultimately, it contends that perceiving youth as “parables of God” can re-enchant cultural understandings of adolescence, restoring joy, beauty, and purpose to a stage too often reduced to market or secular logics.