As children mature, they are exposed to many new environments and ideas that help them to form new perspectives on the world. These new perspectives cause children to grow into better adults. Sometimes, children have to be exposed to the harsh environments of the real world in order to gain new ideas and adapt. Coming-of-age involves recognizing different perspectives. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout is an example of a character whose coming-of-age process involves gaining a different perspective. As Scouts comes of age, she realizes that her dreams of seeing Boo were “only a fantasy. [They] would never see him. He probably did not go out when the moon was down and gaze upon Miss Stephanie Crawford” (Lee 325). Scout accepts that her childhood images of Boo were most likely false, and she gains a different perspective on Boo. Furthermore, when Scout hears that Tom Robinson has been killed, she states that she “found [herself] shaking and couldn’t stop. [She] had seen Enfield Prison Farm, and Atticus had pointed out the exercise yard to [her]” (Lee 317). Scout is exposed to the real horrors of the world, …show more content…
Researchers have found that “over the course of human evolution, the willingness to take risks during this period of life has granted an adaptive edge” (Dobbs 4). By realizing that taking risks is an important part of coming-of-age, teens develop a new perspective. The article points out that “we enter a world made by our parents. But we will live most of our lives, and prosper (or not) in a world run and remade by our peers” (Dobbs 4). Teens realize that they are transitioning to a whole new world as they come of age; a world run by their generation. David Dobbs’ article “Beautiful Brains” shows the many new perspectives that teens will acquire in their coming-of-age