Loss of Innocence

In the novel The Wars, Findley demonstrates that innocence is lost during the war due to the harsh circumstances one is continually exposed too. Self-preservation, in this context, is where one protects themselves from the destruction of war in order to preserver. Often when one is growing up in war times, innocence is lost due to the destruction happening around them.

"We went from children who were afraid of gunshots to now children who were gunshots… Shooting became just like drinking a glass of water" (Barnett, 2012). Ishmael Beah, the main character and writer of the novel A Long Way Gone is a clear example of the loss of innocence that war causes. During the Sierra Leone’s civil war, Beah is recruited as a child soldier and eventually turned into a cold-blooded killer with no sign of naivety in his body. At a tender age, Beah is trained to kill, mutilate and terrify dozens of people, which causes him to be bared to a flood of disturbing scenes; transform into a murderer; loose all sense of emotion; and in time, lose his innocence. In the novel A Long Way Gone, the reader can view the multiple events

Characters lose their innocence throughout American literature. What exactly does “losing their innocence” mean? Losing one’s innocence can be seen as a character maturing. A character may lose his/her innocence in ways including the viewing of a traumatic event, especially one that will scar his/her life forever. Losing one’s innocence can also be caused by losing one’s trust in someone whom he/she once trusted, catching a glimpse into the “real world”, or performing an act of immorality. The recurring theme of loss of innocence, as seen throughout American literature and reality, can affect a person and the people around him/her both negatively and positively. As a result, the audience can see the character mature through losing hope of dreams, becoming an outcast of society, gaining a new perspective of ideas, or gaining confidence. Negative and positive effects falling onto characters as a result of a loss of innocence can be found in works such as The Scarlet Letter, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, and The Hunger Games; this theme can also be seen in real life through the effects of children exposed to violent video games.

In A Separate Peace, John Knowles carries the theme of the inevitable loss of innocence throughout the entire novel. Several characters in the novel sustain both positive and negative changes, resulting from the change of the peaceful summer sessions at Devon to the reality of World War II. While some characters embrace their development through their loss of innocence, others are at war with themselves trying to preserve that innocence.

Loss of innocence occurs when a person first develops an awareness of the suffering, evil and injustice around them. In poignant bildungsroman To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee writes through the eyes of “Scout” Finch, recounting her experience growing up in the segregated town of Maycomb. Through Scout, you learn about her father Atticus Finch, an attorney who hopelessly strives to prove the innocence of Tom Robinson; a black man unjustly accused of rape, and of the civil rights issues and prejudice which plagues the town of Maycomb. Throughout the novel, scout loses her innocence as she is harshly exposed to the reality of injustice and racism in Maycomb. Three significant events illustrate this fact. The first example occurs when Scout

Everyday, people of all ages lose their innocence and develop morally through their daily experiences. Children deal with mishaps on the playground, conflicts with friends and family, and trouble in school. Similarly, Adults deal with conflicts within their own families, problems at work, and the loss of a loved one. In each situation, the person is learning important lessons that impact the way a person thinks, acts, approaches situations, and treats others. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Jem loses his innocence and grows morally through his daily experiences in three stages of understanding in Maycomb, Alabama.

By the end of A Separate Peace, Gene gained the knowledge that his competitive nature created a situation where he believed Finny to be his enemy. Gene needed to learn how to separate himself from Finny and not compare himself to selfless individual. In addition, he achieved peacefulness because he no longer felt like Finny’s sidekick. Gene clearly understands his role in Finny’s accident, and he is able to compartmentalize his guilt about Finny and keep that guilt out of his life. A separate peace permits an individual to accept their sins of the past and not have their guilt affect all future endeavors. Gene strives to achieve peace with himself by removing himself from his negative, chaotic situation to achieve an internal peace. Attainment

In the novel A Separate Peace, I think Gene does “kill” his innocence. I think Gene “killed” his innocence because he had let a lot of things take over him. Jealousy had helped Gene “kill” his innocence. One event that happened where jealously was present was the tree scene. Gene had bent his knees and had jounced the limb.

In A Long Way Gone Ishmael Beah, a soldier with the Sierra Leone army during its civil war, has many life changing events that he has to live with forever. Ishmael is taken far away from his childhood dreams when an unexpected civil war breaks out in his hometown. Ishmael had a loss of innocence when he was younger which caused him to become what he became. Ishmael was a young boy who was introduced to war at 12 years old. He lost friends and experienced the horrific results from the rebels attacks.

In the novel, a Separate Peace, the story of Gene and Finny shows the journey from adolescence to adulthood. The story is told by the main character, Gene Forrester, and talks about the struggles and sorrows that he endures while staying at Devon School. The story not only follows through his friendships with the other boys, but shows Gene’s understanding of the world around him and where he fits in. At the beginning of the story, the reader sees Gene’s innocence and once the story is over, the reader understands that his innocence is absent. Throughout the novel, Finny’s fall from the tree, Gene’s time at Devon alone, and Finny’s death, shape him into a whole new man.

Innocence in life is always hard to keep and is usually not wanted back until it is too late. We are always in want of knowing more but when we finally reach that point of knowledge we finally realize that we have lost our innocence doing so. The theme of loss of innocence in this novel is well portrayed and is given many angles. The novel really shows the bad reality of losing one’s innocence to time and curiosity. Although it is all a part of growing up and maturing through living, I really do have to think back and make the conclusion that innocence is

Many children in the world have encountered or are now encountering internal conflicts within their region that can cause much harm to not only their physical bodies but also to their emotional well-being. In Ishmael memoir, A Long Way Gone, Ishmael explores the idea that the atrocities in the world can affect a child’s life traumatically by causing a loss of innocence within the child, and Beah does this through his use of imagery, flashbacks and characters. The atrocities in the world can affect a child’s life by causing a loss of innocence within the child. Unfortunately, a child from a certain part of the world, like Beah, can struggle with meeting with the conflict that is happening within the child’s country face-to-face, and that conflict

In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, losing one's innocence is a major factor in shaping each of the characters personalities and beliefs in the story. By looking at The Inevitably of the Loss of Innocence, we can see that as each of the characters are growing up, they get more shocked by the reality of the harsh world because they have not yet learned hatred in their peers and community and because of the realization that not everybody is kind and has good morals. This is important because Lee displays this theme in the story by creating conflicts such as Tom Robinson's trial and the children's reaction to the verdict. Lee uses characterization for Boo Radley by giving the audience an overview about people's view on him and the horrifying

As children grow up, they experience changes in their personality. It may be alright to go shoot birds of all sorts, but it is a sin to kill an innocent Mockingbird. Loss of innocence has been displayed through many pieces of literature. This is clearly shown in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The three children of Maycomb lose their innocence through the novel because of prejudice, lack of affection from family and acceptance.

Most Americans endure a childhood full of happiness and carelessness. On the other hand, two siblings, Jem and Scout, grow up in the racially divided South and explore the adult world when their father is looked down upon for defending an African American. The children are forced to grow up through characters and other facets in their small, separated town of Maycomb. Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee emphasizes the loss of innocence through a series of mature and emotional events.