A coming of age story typically follows a young teen or person who must grow up and assume a great responsibility. Unbeknownst to most, one doesn’t necessarily have to be young to acquire a new obligation or go through a time of personal growth. In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Tom Joad must assume the responsibility of leading and taking care of his family. Similarly, in Seabiscuit by Gary Ross, the horse Seabiscuit and his rider Red, also known as Johnny Pollard, heal and grow together from their pasts. Despite Tom being a near middle-aged man, Red only being introduced when he was a teen, and Seabiscuit being a few years past his prime, these figures have the greatest character development through their respective adventures.
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After Tom’s release from jail, he is very brash and doesn’t concern himself with thinking about the future, but instead focusing on “jus’ putin’ one foot in front a the other.” (CITE pp. 173) Fortunately, this mindset doesn’t follow him for very long as he begins to realize that his family needs structure and guidance. His friendship with the former preacher Jim Casy is what forms the foundation of his development. By setting an accidental example, Casy unknowingly leads and trains Tom to one day take his place as he expands his mind into thinking of others’ future instead of his own present. Finally arriving in California, it’s easy to see the beginning of this path as Tom talks about Ruthie and Winfield truly gazing upon the land for the first …show more content…
Unlike Tom Joad, though, Red’s coming of age revolves more around the idea of personal growth and recovery than of responsibility. In the beginning of the film Seabiscuit, Red has a very comfortable life up until the Great Depression ravaged America. Due to his family's struggles and debt, his mother and father give him to a stranger to look after their son and have him race for the man. Unfortunately, this leads to him being broken down in many ways, fighting to survive, literally and figuratively. In spite of his long, losing streak and status of poverty, Charles Howard and Tom Smith choose him to ride their horse, Seabiscuit. Before becoming comfortable with Charles, he is very angry and worried that Charles will take away everything he has offered him at any second, but thankfully the walls he put up slowly start to dissolve as he realizes that he is finally safe. One example of his growth is when he eats a large amount of food, insinuating that he has given up on ever riding, but soon reverts to his older habits of eating miniscule portions instead, emphasizing his desire to ride again. Throughout his journey, Red realizes that he has no need for his shield of anger, expressed when he shouts at Howard, “I was crippled for the rest of my life. I got better. He made me better. Hell, you made me better.”(CITE). Despite the apparent growth in character, not all the credit can go to Mr. Howard,