"In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.” (Abraham Maslow) This quote explains that it is important to grow and experience new things, and that is what coming of age is about. Coming of age is something that happens when a person goes through an experience and becomes more of an adult or becomes more mature. This essay will discuss Holden from The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. found his identity and how Juliet from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare experienced love through the coming-of-age process. Finding your identity is when someone goes through a journey to find where they fit in and find things that they enjoy, Holden experiences this throughout the book. At the beginning of the …show more content…
In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet was a very quiet girl who followed the rules her parents gave her. But, after meeting Romeo, she started to break the rules and disobey her parents. Juliet is more mature at the beginning of the story, and even though she is more mature than Romeo throughout the book she becomes naive and stops thinking clearly. She experiences love throughout the entire book, from the moment she meets Romeo at the party to the end when she dies. Even though Juliet decided to marry Romeo and kill herself irresponsibly, they were mature decisions for someone her age. “I will not marry yet; and when I do, I swear / It shall be Romeo—whom you know I hate— / Rather than Paris” This proves that even though it was not the right decision to marry Romeo it was a mature one. This proves my thesis because it explains that the love she experienced with Romeo was so strong that she felt the need to spend the rest of her life with him. As you can see, this essay discusses how Holden and Juliet went through their own coming-of-age experiences throughout each book. The first paragraph explains how Holden found his identity and what he went through to find it. The second paragraph explains how Juliet experienced love with Romeo and the decisions it caused her to make. In conclusion, everyone goes through their coming-of-age process and