Bobby Coming of Age The attitude of a person’s actions can reflect on what we think about people. In The First Part Last we are shown this a lot throughout learning who Bobby is. I keep in mind that just based off of age, it cannot define whether or not he had become a man. Although, what is it that gives us the ability to judge if a man is a man or if he is just a mature teenager? Knowing that Bobby was mature enough to take on a responsibility to keep a child, does it make him a man or did he do it because of his emotions? We could see that Bobby had taken more responsibility after Feather, when finding out about the situation Nia was in. The author of the story, Angela Johnson, allowed me to ask myself these questions. So overall, we are able to develop the idea of Bobby becoming a man at the end of the book. Bobby becoming a man was difficult for him to want, but he was able to realize it happens unexpectedly and he cannot control it. Along with coming of age, Bobby ends up in a situation he never expected to happen. He left Feather by herself while he was playing basketball and when he realized, he set the ball down gently and it rolled away on its own. As if it was Bobby’s childhood rolling away from him. The different symbols represented in the book also show. Bobby’s childhood and him wanting to know what could have happened if Nia didn’t get pregnant. Also, the overall theme is based on coming of age. People will think of Bobby as immature at the stage of life he
Her dream when she was a kid was to fly in balloons for a living. Now, she could barely even afford a birthday balloon, let alone one big enough to fly in. All with having a child, and still trying to go to school. Her childhood dreams were crushed. Her and Bobby both have to give up what's dearest to them, and focus on the impending task at hand. So on Bobby's sixteenth birthday, Nia gives Bobby a balloon. The thing she wanted to do, but can't now. She is handing over everything she wanted to ever be to the man whom she must raise this child with. As a way of saying "I am yours, and you are mine. We are in this together
In the beginning of the book, when Bobby became invisible he was insecure about himself. He didn’t want to be stepped on or be left home. In the book, Things Not Seen, on chapter 7, page 56, it states, “But fear doesn't need doors and windows,’ ‘It works from the inside,”. This quote shows how Bobby was afraid to be stuck as the invisible boy and to be home alone in the beginning of Things Not Seen, but in the end Bobby gained some confident that he got from being invisible for some time. When he turned back visible he still had the same confidence he gained from being invisible. In conclusion, Bobby became more confident in the end of Things Not Seen than in the
“But I figure if the world were really right, humans would live life backward and do the first part last. They’d be all knowing in the beginning and innocent in the end” (Johnson 4). Angela Johnson is the author of The First Part Last. Throughout the novel, Johnson shows us how Bobby goes through struggles in life and how he changes. Bobby just turned 16, he lives in New York City, and he get his girlfriend, Nia, pregnant. His parents are Mary and Frank. Feather is Bobby and Nia’s daughter who looks just like Nia. Bobby takes on the responsibility of caring for and nurturing Feather on his own. He wants to come of age and become a man based on evidence from the novel and symbols that are mentioned in it. The symbols to support this are, the basketball, balloon, arcade, and Just Frank. These symbols not only support that Bobby wanted to come of age and become a man, but he did.
Bobby, a young troubled man, Was raised by his father, a professional con artist after the death of his mother. From a very young age Bobby was exposed to the criminal acts of his father and was taught to lead the same path. When he turns seventeen years old, Bobby meets and falls in love with a girl called Gwen. She gives him a sense of identity and belonging he missed his entire life. During the same time he learns
As you can see, the previously stated objects that Bobby encountered, prove that Bobby did come of age by the resolution of this novel. The gameboy because he thought about looking for it, but decided not to. Which symbolizes that later on he gets to a point where he sees no reason in trying to remain a child. The basketball, represents how Feather grew up with Bobby as her parent because he properly came of age by the end.
In the beginning, Nia decides to give Bobby a red balloon on his 16th birthday. While doing this, she says, “Bobby, I have something to tell you.” With this, some conclusions that are drawn are that the news is not positive, and it could mean a drastic change in Bobby’s life. Also, the red balloon has the potential to symbolize many other objects, including Nia’s childhood, innocence, children, and change that is yet to come. For example, since the news is likely about pregnancy, the balloon could represent Nia giving up her innocence and childhood to Bobby, since she has to give up her old life for new responsibilities that come with being a
In this novel will bobby become a man and or come of age? Bobby will become a man due to how he starts to act with feather like how instead of sending her into adoption he kept her as his baby . Also in the novel we see how bobby comes of adve as in the quote " you wanna go on a walk bobby,sure i grab feather get her ready and mary takes her from me" and she sees that he is now mature and she takes feather so paul and bobby can go on a walk. Finally another example of bobby growing up and or being a man is that he moved to heaven and or ohio to raise his baby in a better place. So these are some examples to show how bobby has become of age and this clearly shows that he is a man.
Every time that Bobby would walk by Just Frank on the street, Just Frank would ask if Bobby was "being a man" (Johnson 7). A true man would give up his wants to help someone in need. When Just Frank died trying to save a girl in an ally, he was symbolizing a hero. Just Frank could have had a feeling that Bobby's immaturity would lead him down a path where he would end up having to make some tough choices. Just Frank could have been trying to get Bobby to try to mature so that he could be a hero to Feather, his daughter, who was a result of his poor choices. Bobby never really did know what Just Frank meant when he asked him this, but he eventually understood when he finally matured fully into a man. Bobby finally felt like a man when he took on the challenge of raising his daughter alone. After Bobby finalized his decision, he said ,"I think I see Just Frank standing at the end of the hall" (Johnson 126). By quitting his immature actions, and keeping the baby, Bobby finally felt like he was "being a man" (Johnson 126). Having a vision of Just Frank made Bobby realize why he had always asked him that same question over and over again. He realized that Just Frank knew that Bobby would finally have to grow up so that he could be Feather's hero. When Bobby finally grew up and matured, he felt vastly satisfied with
Bobby, a teenage boy is on a journey to “come of age”, he must due to certain circumstances like his newborn baby girl, whom he is raising practically on his own. Bobby know that to be a good father he needs to grow up.
Did Bobby, a sixteen year old boy that was masterfully crafted by Angela Johnson, become a real man? In the book, The First Part Last made, Bobby, the main character, attempts to find his identity while coping with a newborn baby. Bobby struggles through the book trying to find out what a man truly is and what they are supposed to do. It could be argued that Bobby did come of age by the end of the book. Many objects and symbols within the book could prove or disprove that thought.
How do you know if your grown up? When do you know that its time to grow up. Its not like you have a sign that tells you its time to stop being childish now. Bobby from The first part last didn't have any signs either. Coming of age doesn't have instructions so how do you know what to do.
A symbol that is shown is the symbol of the arcade, and children playing games. Bobby will see these children, or talk of what his friends are doing in the arcade; furthermore, it shows that Bobby wants to be a kid again. A symbol that is also shown is the symbol of the bubblegum. The bubblegum found on page 108 shows that he feels the temptation to leave Feather behind, and to just have his life be easy and simple. These symbols all show his longing to be a kid again, but he doesn’t follow these promptings. Bobby always seems to only glance at these symbols, but not put them to action. He doesn’t want to leave Feather all alone, even if it is hard. Another thing that Bobby does throughout the book is he censors himself. Instead of speaking out loud, he stops himself. On page forty-two, Bobby thinks to himself while the teacher is talking, and doesn’t try to contradict what the teacher is saying. He tries his hardest to just listen and keep the situation from getting worse. Throughout the book, Bobby says that he sometimes wants to be like Feather. He even acts like he is Feather’s brother on page 82 saying, “Yeah, she’s easy to deal with, my sister,” in order to get out of the responsibility of being a parent, yet he still has to take care of Feather at the end of the day. “This must be what made my mom’s eyes narrow and nasty words come out of her mouth. This must be what helped give my dad an ulcer and that look on his face that says-what next (Page 33)?” Bobby is able to realize that what he has done has changed the lives of his parents, and it has made the situation harder for his family overall. He feels bad, saying, “I feel worse because I’m taking my dad’s smile and probably some more things he’ll never talk about (Page 74),” and he sees that he might have taken his dad’s smile away. He feels guilty, and therefore decides that he will do as much as he can without his parent’s help. This
As Toby and his mother, Rosemary, drive to Utah, Rosemary’s abusive ex-husband, Roy, follows them there. Roy is an insecure man who is very possessive of Rosemary. However, when Toby is a young boy, he his view of Roy is “manly”. Toby’s definition of a man is being handsome, having tattoos, and being heroic. These “manly” qualities causes Toby to look up to Roy in a way. Although Toby doesn’t want to be insecure and abusive like Roy, he wants to become strong and
"A man can only endure so much before his will is broken and he can not push farther... we, sir, are here to test this one's will, and in turn, reveal the length of his abilities". In The First Part Last by Angela Johnson, a 16 year old boy named Bobby, whose surname the book does not reveal, is given the onus of taking care of a child that his girlfriend, Nia, had given birth to before they were separated due to medical issues with her body. The story begins with introducing Bobby, and we soon find out that because of the situation at hand, he must become a man to cope with the stress and the potential regret that comes with having a child at 16. So Bobby was forced to become a man, in order to truly reveal the length of his abilities, and
Has Bobby in the “first part last” come of age? After reading this book many people wonder if he came of age. He came of age when Bobby decided to keep Feather. Nia, after giving birth went into a vegetative state which caused her to basically be brain dead. Bobby and Nia before the problem occured, decided to have the baby get adopted with the help of a social worker. Bobby decided to keep Feather right when he saw her and of what happened to Nia, he felt like he should do his part. The author who wrote “first part last” name is Angela Johnson. Some symbols of Bobby coming of age is a red balloon, basketball and the trophies.