Everyone goes through the transition from childhood to adulthood. Boys become young men, and girls become young women; this is a significant stepping stone in the “journey to maturity.” Of course, becoming mature does not happen over night. Instead, it is a long process of learning from experience, which gives the young adult a new outlook on life and a new set of skills. The initiation theme is discussed in the article “Greasy Lake,” by critic Dennis Vanatta who argues that the author T.C. Boyle has created a narrator who is reflecting on his youth and an evening that would prove to be his stepping stone in the journey to maturity.
Furthermore, age is relative—some women may look and feel younger than their years, or they might seem a lot older than they actually are. This does not mean that just because they have celebrated a certain number of birthdays, they can act beyond their age or be “pre-mature”. Coleman's story discusses the relationships between three
Jannie was a bright, young girl who like any girl at the age of fifteen wanted to be in love. On a hot summer day in a small town near Houston, Texas, Jannie met Lawrence. Lawrence seemed perfect in Jannie's perspective. He was older, had a nice a car, and to top it off, he was gorgeous. Nevertheless, it didn’t take long for Jannie and Lawrence to be acquainted.
Everyone has done something in their life that they have deeply regretted and mostly refer back to their childhood. However, from a young age a person may not understand the issue until they grow into an adult. The author, Susan Perabo shows this to be especially true in her short story “The Payoff”. The use of the main characters Anne and Louise reveal how unwise a young mind can be in realizing the most simple of things. However, through the use of these characters an important message is suddenly conveyed over the story.
She fools herself into thinking she is an adult because she assumes the appearance of one when she is not home: “She wore a pullover jersey blouse that looked one way when she was at home and another way when she was away from home” (396). Through her dressing and going out with several boys, she strives to present herself as a sexually attractive mature woman. Only realizing the sexual aspect of maturity, Connie is not prepared for the responsibilities associated with independence. She is careless as an adolescent, as she spends a different night with a different boy: “All the boys… dissolved into a single face that was not even a face, but an idea, a feeling” (397). The word “dissolve” provides an image of a distant blur of a teenager’s insignificant relationships and not concrete and meaningful relationships that an adult would engage in.
Some people say the theme of the Outsiders-a book by S.E. Hinton- is preserving childhood innocence, but I say it is that violence is never the answer. I say this because, throughout the story there is a lot of violence. Every time there is some form of violence, something bad always happens as a result. None of the fights end up causing more problems. For example when Bob attacked Ponyboy Bob ended up dead, because of this Jonny and Ponyboy had to go on the run.
Since the beginning of time people have gone through trials in court to either be proven innocent or guilty. In the Crucible by Arthur Miller a massive number of people were being convicted in Salem, Massachusetts because of the witch trials. The law of the land states that everyone is above suspicion until they are demonstrated to be guilty by legitimate evidence; in the play the Crucible if a person was accused of an unlawful act they were summons for being a witch and working for the devil without proper confirmation. Citizens in Salem were imposed to establish their innocent or be put to death, which caused conflicting issues in the village.
“No one loses their innocence. It is either taken or given away willingly.” by Tiffany Madison. The Crucible is a play that starts off with girls getting sick and soon people begin to point fingers. Abigail Williams, the main character, falsely accuse many people leading to others to follow suit. John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and many others tried to prove their innocence that they are not involved with witchcraft.
Fullmer 1 Undoubtedly children in The Crucible have a very defining aspect of one of the major themes in the novel, innocence vs guilt. In Salem, everything and anything either belongs to God or the Devil and who is more innocent in the eyes of God than a child? Childlike behavior is associated with innocence and this apparent innocence is what kept many of the children in Salem protected during the witch trials. The symbolism of innocence relating to the children, the voice that children are given in The Crucible compared to the other people who lack the ability to defend themselves because they are considered to be less credible, and why children are represented the way they are and how their representation contrasts other characters in the novel are all important elements to the novel as a whole.
Jonathan Franzen “Agreeable”, is a coming of age story and in this story she become of age in more than one way. The narrator Patty endured suffering, she found a place in the world by it, experiences growth, and acts as an adult instead of child after the traumatic experience. She was cheated, but even though she didn’t receive justice, she was still able to accomplish wonderful things. She was able to discover who she was, and made a name for herself.
12 Extended Essay The Complexity of Innocence in S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders Word count: 3,661 S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders uses allusion to its advantage, specifically through the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay, written by Robert Frost. The novel highlights Ponyboy Curtis and the other greasers he associates himself with; among these are Dallas “Dally” Winston and Johnny Cade. The allusion to Robert Frost’s poem, Nothing Gold Can Stay, shows the complexity of the retention and loss of innocence in specific characters in The Outsiders by relating lines of the poem with three of the main boys highlighted in the novel:
Sandra Cisneros’ short story “Eleven”, poem “My Wicked Wicked Ways”, and book The House on Mango Street have many similarities and differences in terms of style, tone, theme, character and setting. In the short story “Eleven”, Sandra Cisneros manages to convey a powerful message about growing up from the perspective of an eleven year old. The story starts out with Rachel, the protagonist, who is turning eleven today. It starts out with her at school while she's in math class.
Connie thinks she can handle the responsibility of adulthood but in the end finds out she is not ready. Unfortunately by then it’s too late. This harsh reality of no longer being able to find safety in the comfort of her youthful innocence leaves her forever changed. The story illustrates
However, when he met the woman of his life his life changed drastically. Ove lived a happy life for a short period of time, however, things don’t last a lifetime. In a trip to Spain, on their honeymoon, Ove’s wife suffers a miscarriage caused by a bus accident. Not only that, but beyond even that she lives the rest of her life in a wheelchair. After years pass, his wife also dies, which results in Ove living in loneliness, again.
The author of the novel, Everyday, Mr. David Levithan, gives the readers a genderless, faceless, and virtually nameless protagonist who still manages to be endearing and emotionally resonant. Leaving a question—can a love between a bodiless soul and a real human possibly work—captivates on its own, the novel’s greatest strength lies in its ability to capture many different experiences of young adults. From stress to depression, the daily struggles of A’s bodies transform this love story into a brilliant mediation on teen life. The novel is called as wise, widely unique love story of a teen. The story began with a confusing jump start that bridges me to confusion.
