Coming of Age in Stories, and in Life
I think that it stories can paint a very realistic picture of what it’s like to grow up. To Kill a Mockingbird certainly dealt with things that make a girl of eight grow up awful fast. And with all the stories about rape and trials of rapists, those things can still make a little girl grow up a bit, especially when it’s a case that’s close to her. In Wonder, August must go to school with an abnormal face, and the events that ensue caused him to grow up. Dealing with bullies, having difficulty making “true” friends, being involved in a fight - these things can all make a person grow up. In this respect, I believe that coming of age in stories can be, at times, very similar to coming of age in real life.
We can learn many things about growing up by reading stories, since they take us into different worlds full of different people and their troubles. Take Wonder, for instance. When we started reading it in class, we had no idea how people with facial deformities are treated, or how they feel, or anything. But the book soon taught us all about their feelings, and a way that August grew up.
Of course, stories only tell us how other people come of age, and the ways that they do this do not always apply to real life. You could be the most immature teenager in the world, and read a book about a very immature teenager, how they grew up, and how life was after they grew up, but you probably wouldn’t go out and do the same things the character in the book did in an attempt to mature like they did. Coming of age is not really something you can control.
So, yes, in some ways “coming of age” in books does relate to real life.
We can learn many things about growing up by reading stories, since they take us into different worlds full of different people and their troubles. Take Wonder, for instance. When we started reading it in class, we had no idea how people with facial deformities are treated, or how they feel, or anything. But the book soon taught us all about their feelings, and a way that August grew up.
Of course, stories only tell us how other people come of age, and the ways that they do this do not always apply to real life. You could be the most immature teenager in the world, and read a book about a very immature teenager, how they grew up, and how life was after they grew up, but you probably wouldn’t go out and do the same things the character in the book did in an attempt to mature like they did. Coming of age is not really something you can control.
So, yes, in some ways “coming of age” in books does relate to real life.
Coming of Age
Coming of age, to me, means dealing with life situations and growing because of it. It means having to become more mature because of a certain event in your life. It could be anything, really. Getting over your fear of the dark, having to get a job to support your family, etc. It could also mean dealing with the death of someone close to you, and having to get over the shock or their loss. Discovering that some people are dishonest could even be included in the category of coming of age.
I’m sort of a movie person, and so, when I think of coming of age, I think of movies like The Devil is a Sissy, Boys’ Town, Treasure Island, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and things like that. (And, of course, the books, too.)
And I think the people in those movies/books came of age faster than we do now. They usually had to. Some were orphans, or street urchins, and Jim had to deal with pirates. I think that would make him grow up pretty fast....
All people come of age in some way. My uncle died two years ago, and I had never realized that he was an actor, like me, and that he liked classic movies, like me. I guess it made me appreciates my family more, since I found out that I could lose them very quickly, without ever knowing who they actually were.
Coming of age could also mean a change in the way a person thinks, or dresses, or anything like that. My best friend wore big shirts and sweatpants until she was twelve, then made the switch to jeans and more fashionable clothing. That, to me, could be a coming-of-age kind of thing. Then, again, there is the thing that I always think about when I hear coming of age. And that is, well, coming of age itself.
I’m sort of a movie person, and so, when I think of coming of age, I think of movies like The Devil is a Sissy, Boys’ Town, Treasure Island, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and things like that. (And, of course, the books, too.)
And I think the people in those movies/books came of age faster than we do now. They usually had to. Some were orphans, or street urchins, and Jim had to deal with pirates. I think that would make him grow up pretty fast....
All people come of age in some way. My uncle died two years ago, and I had never realized that he was an actor, like me, and that he liked classic movies, like me. I guess it made me appreciates my family more, since I found out that I could lose them very quickly, without ever knowing who they actually were.
Coming of age could also mean a change in the way a person thinks, or dresses, or anything like that. My best friend wore big shirts and sweatpants until she was twelve, then made the switch to jeans and more fashionable clothing. That, to me, could be a coming-of-age kind of thing. Then, again, there is the thing that I always think about when I hear coming of age. And that is, well, coming of age itself.