I initially when I read the phrase “Coming of Age”, I think of a typical underdog struggling to find his true identity, and when he finally does, he becomes the hero of the story. In a sense, I generally link Coming of Age novels with Heroes Journey novels (of which I suppose this post will consequently serve as a decent transition from Heroes Journey to Coming of Age). But when I try to relate to a focal Coming of Age moment in American society, I get a whole new viewpoint.
It can be argued that there are numerous times in our lives where we “Come of Age”. In these modern days, you really can’t pinpoint when your exact coming of age moment is your life, because everyone is different and people develop in unique and in independent ways. Personally, I believe that most of these moments revolve around college. Finally completing the college process (which includes applying and getting in to a university), going to college (moving in and adjusting to the new college environment), and/ or graduating from college could all be considered pivotal Coming of Age moment in our lives. But it doesn’t just have to be about college either; getting your first job, marrying a significant other, starting a family, etc. All these are milestones in one’s life and provide an experience that help define who we are. We all go through these processes differently, and that’s what makes us find ourselves.
Personally, I believe the main coming of age moment in our lives is when we graduate college. At this moment, you have learned how to study and usually live on your own. You’ve learned how to start over, new friends, new teachers, new classes, new environment, etc. Not to mention, after college, you tend to have a feel for what you want to do with your life. It’s a great process that can be experienced differently for every person. Although I do believe you do grow and develop more once you move on from college, you will always remember your personal college experience, and how it shaped you.
Now, discovering your true heroic self and going to college are two very different “Coming of Age” moments, but they both serve the same purpose: to find one’s self. Whether it takes riding to battle on horseback with a sword in one hand and shield in another, or packing up your bags and heading off to a university to study, a “Coming of Age” moment in one’s life is essential and is achieved differently across fictional and non fictional worlds.
I like what you said about graduating from college being a really important milestone because you know how to start over then. If you think about it, going to college is almost like a final exam. While you're in high school, you learn the basic skills you need to survive in college, such as time management, doing your own laundry, etc. Obviously while you are in college you will learn more and improve the skills that you already have, but applying to college is sort of like proving that you are ready for the final exam. Once you make it through college, you've demonstrated that you are ready to take on a lot of new situations because you've been educated in "survival skills" and you've passed the test showing that you really know them. So I think you're right that your college graduation shows that you have come of age and that you are ready to be an adult on your own in the real world.
ReplyDeleteIt may interest you to know that Joyce's working title for the novel that eventually became _Portrait_ was "Stephen Hero"--so the "heroic" aspect of defining oneself and facing the wider world was certainly on his mind as he was putting this together. (And, of course, naming Stephen after the quintessential greek escape-artist-hero furthers this heroic/mythic pedigree.) As we'll see, Joyce's conception of heroism leans heavily toward martyrdom--the kind of "hero" Parnell is to Stephen's father and Mr Casey. Thus, his name combines both a reference to the Greek hero Daedalus and the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that college is the center for most of our coming of age. I think this comes from the moving out of the house. The biggest change that comes in college is the lack of parental supervision and involvement. We are so used to our parents taking care of all of the logistics that we truly become adults when we can a trip to your old house is a visit rather than coming home.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that our coming of age is centered around the college years. Going through the college application process is meant to start the process of finding yourself. I mean, one of the questions on the common application was about reaching adulthood. You go on to say, "But it doesn’t just have to be about college either; getting your first job, marrying a significant other, starting a family, etc." I wholeheartedly agree with this as well and it makes me wonder if we ever reach a point that we come of age. We are constantly overcoming challenges and learning new things as we age. As a result, I am perplexed as to why we must decide what we want to do for the rest of lives at the age of 18. Yes, college is a place to be independent and find yourself, but you are constantly changing and evolving through each and every event in your life. The saying, "The person you are at 18 is not the person you are at 28," comes to mind. (That was totally paraphrased, I couldn't find the original)
ReplyDeleteI agree that college might be the center point for the coming of age of many of the people we are around every day. However it really does vary. There are so many people who don't go to college, but that doesn't mean they don't come of age. I think that a main coming of age turning point occurs when a person has to go and take responsibility of themselves (and potentially those around them); that might be when they go to college, when they graduate high school, when they get a steady job, pay for their own living space, pay bills, anything like that. A coming of age turning point could also be when you lose a parent (if you do at a young age) and have to suddenly take more responsibility of yourself or siblings, or it can be when you have a child (this could be at age 12 or age 32, it doesn't matter), or any scenario like that.
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