The Intruder, A & P, And The Bass, The River And Soul

Jane Godwin's book, 'Falling from Grace', explores the extent that each of the main characters grow in maturity. Maturity is not determined by age, but by the experiences that a person has which effects how far someone grows. We observe the main characters; Annie, Kip, Grace and Ted in their growth in maturity and how people still stay the same even into adulthood. As the characters mature, they can also see others in the different way, thinking the other has changed, but in reality, the change is within themselves. These are fundamental aspects of 'Falling from Grace'.

The moral message apparent in this coming-of-age novel questions each of the teenage boys, who in various ways show us what it's like to grow up in rural Australia if you are smart or poor or of a different race. This moral message makes me question the past of the Australia I have came to

In his short story "A & P" John Updike utilizes a 19-year-old adolescent to show us how a boy gets one step closer to adulthood. Sammy, an A & P checkout clerk, talks to the reader with blunt first person observations setting the tone of the story from the outset. The setting of the story shows us Sammy's position in life and where he really wants to be. Through the characterization of Sammy, Updike employs a simple heroic gesture to teach us that actions have consequences and we are responsible for our own actions.

In the novel “Tomorrow When the War Began” written by John Marsden, one important idea that was developed throughout the written text was how life events change people. People develop the most during their teenage years which is when they are affected the most during their life.Major life events change people and teenagers need to understand this. In this novel, seven teenagers go camping and when they emerge from the bush there are fires everywhere, the power is out and the animals are dead. The small town of Wirrawee has been invaded by the army. The idea of how life events can change people is shown through the technique of characters. With the events of war, Ellie showed how she grew up and lost her innocence because of the choices she

In the short stories, “Saving Sourdi,” by May-Lee Chai and “The Moths,” by Helena Maria Viramontes, the main character of each short story goes through their own coming of age experience where they are forced to mature in order to overcome an obstacle. Chai explains her main character, Nea’s, struggle as she is forced to mature and overcome the departure of her older sister, Sourdi, from her life after she gets married and moves away. Viramontes, on the other hand, depicts her narrator’s struggle as she is forced to mature and overcome the death of her Abuelita on her own. Despite their very different approaches, both Chai and Viramontes successfully convey their main character 's struggles in their journey from youth to adulthood.

Craig Silveys remarkable novel Jasper Jones succeeds in its intention to address real issues facing young readers today. To a certain extent, significant life topics including the hardships adolescents face through a coming of age, the deep rooted fear of prejudice and the dark, struggle that is fear and courage are all expressed around the central protagonist Charlie and the small country town of Corrigan. In this essay I will give and insight to these issues, discussing how it involves and affects today youths.

A common theme we see in the two stories, “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, and “The Rocking Horse-Winner” by D.H Lawrence is the detrimental effects that a forcing a bar of success can have on developing adolescents. Recognizing that the product of success is generally good, clouds the notion that there is in fact a wide range of effects that chasing success can bring about. Some of these effects have positive repercussions, teaching adolescents discipline and work ethic. However, some of the effects are quite negative, especially in those that are too young to truly care for themselves. Forcing a cusp of success on adolescents indirectly in “The Rocking Horse-Winner” or directly in “Two Kinds” pushes the children to achieve the impossible resulting in a breaking point in the adolescent characters.

Every individual comes to a point in their life in which they begin to swim away from the harbor their parents raised them in, and begin navigating their own life. Dalton Trumbo uniquely portrays the familiar concept of coming-of-age, within a passage from his novel Johnny Got His Gun, in which he depicts a son wanting to take a friend fishing instead of his father who has taken him annually during their camping trip. Trumbo gives insight into the internal turmoil that strikes when confronting ones parents about wanting to drift away from the anchor they’ve been for them. He clearly articulates his point, illustrating the flow in thought from tense to reflective using precise selection of detail, applying a shift in point of view, and naturalistic imagery.

This quote gives advice to the readers because they would realize how important a choice can affect their life by reading it. Because it is based on a real story and experience, author clarifies a real life lesson about pain, loss, fates, and hope can have in people’s life. This book have impacts on growing teenagers and tell them how important to not waste a

New stages of life can often introduce change within a persons and cause them to reassess who they are and what they value. These changes can surface due to transitions faced by the individual and new relationships formed during this time, which allow the individual to experience a personal transformation. The Story of Tom Brennan by J.C Bourke and The Dead Poets Society both explore these concepts through the use of characters who transform due to changes in their lives, which lead to a reevaluation of who they are and what they value.

In many cultures, coming of age is often celebrated because children become young adults who grasp self-awareness and accountability. At the same time, childhood is threatened by responsibility, which is dreaded because there is an unpredictable world of adulthood waiting with no guarantees. James Hurst demonstrates the journey of growing up through life experiences everyone goes through in the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis”. Throughout his use of mood, setting, and symbolism, Hurst shows that maturing requires reflecting on past experiences and losing innocence, which then can transform one’s outlook on life.

In life, there are many decisions that everyone must make. And with decision-making comes consequences, some that we are ready for , and some that we may not be ready for. The author of ' The Man Who Was Almost a Man,' Richard Wright, portrays a young man who wants to be a man, but shows that he is clearly unprepared for manhood and the consequences that come with that responsibility. Through decision making based on self interest, wanting to gain respect from his family, and wanting to prove his dignity, Richard Wright brings forth the main character, Dave, a seventeen year old boy, whose actions show that he is only 'almost a man.'

In western Australian author Tim Winton’s book, The Turning, the large collection of short stories are aimed towards teenagers and other people who have been teenagers. This is so, because each story uses a similar theme to do with finishing high school, how people decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives and the character’s journeys along the way.

As an adult reader who has crossed over to the reality of life, reading about these characters can be a transparent, futile exercise because as adults looking back at youth we have the experience to know where these characters are headed before they even start their journey. However, for young adults who are still in the throes of existential angst this is a powerful novel that handles teenage rites of passage and coming-of-age issues such as loyalty, friendship, belonging, and even death and loss very well.

Morrie taught me that caring for others is as important as making money and going to work. Morrie and Mitch were looking through Morrie’s childhood pictures and talking about how important family is. “If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don't have much at all.” (156) This quote is relative to the topic sentence and thesis because it talks about how caring can change a person because if they are not cared for then they won’t feel love or get support. Also, if a person doesn't get support then they will be lonely.