Maturity Levels in Characters
Maturity levels increase and decrease in characters in works of literature and also throughout one's real life. It's hard for the maturity level of the person to stay the same. Ron Jones' The Acorn People, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh clearly show the degree of maturity in characters in a work of literature. Ron Jones in The Acorn People shows a low maturity level when first arriving at the summer camp, but later his maturity level increased into a higher level. Laura Wingfield's character in The Glass Menagerie was extremely shy throughout most of the play. By the end of the play, Laura was able to hold a conversation with her old crush, Jim O'Connor. Sydney Carton of A Tale of Two Cities showed a rise is his maturity level when he took the place of Charles Darnay in the prison cell so that Lucie (Sydney's true love) would be able to be with her husband. Aimee Thanatogenos of The Loved One…. A person can be described as "mature" when he or she has grown physically and mentally, and has demonstrated the ability to be responsible for his/her actions. Whether it's an increase or decrease of maturity level, a change in it always shows a change in character and attitude.
Ron Jones' maturity level rocketed after he became a camp counselor at Camp Wiggin and he also had a major attitude change along with that. Ron had placed himself in the camp counselor position merely for a good-paying job. In college he was an athlete, and playing with kids all day, swimming, and taking long hikes had also drawn him to the job. Little did he know this session of camp, was for the handicapped kids. Ron, along with the other counselors, were not trained for these kinds of tasks that they had to deal with, with the disabled kids and by the end of the first afternoon- Ron wanted out. His attitude was negative towards the situation he was put in and he felt that he would not be able to get close with these kids. The next day was better for him and throughout the next few days he slowly got to know and love the kids.
This passage of the story displays coming of age as an internal force through Jem’s character, conflict, and setting. This event led Jem to see situations in a different perspective. He learns that people might come out as rude. But, as hard as it is he must remain respectful, because he would not know what kind of battles they must be facing. He uses this coming of age experience as a life lesson more throughout the
As you read the book Johnny Tremain from the front to the back you see a young boy change into a mature man. Although you cannot see into the future of Johnny Tremain, you know that he will be respected and make wise decisions as an adult because he learned from his many mistakes at a young age. He changes from being proud to humble, having a fiery temper to being understanding and calm, and from selfish to a very caring man. As all of these pieces fit together to get a mature young man. At the end of the story, a woman posed a question. “’How old are you Johnny’ she asked. ‘Sixteen.’ ‘And what's that-a boy or a man?’ He laughed. ‘A boy in time of peace and a man in time of war.’”
How does one know that a person is maturing? Are there signs? What defines maturity? “A mature person assumes responsibility for his or her actions” (“Maturity”) but does that mean someone who cannot do that should not be considered mature? In The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, both Holden and Taylor go through a period in their lives where they start “putting aside ‘toys’ and fantasies...seeing the world as it really is” (“Maturity”). For Taylor, adulthood is thrust upon her when she “inherits” Turtle, while for Holden it takes till the end of the book--when he is with Phoebe--to realize.
Whether some people say that maturity depends on age because as one grows so do responsibilities, but I say that maturity doesn’t depend on age because one can mature on how their surroundings are. For example, in a book called,” The Glass Castle”, there was a girl , Janet Walls, and her siblings who had to grow up at a young age. Janet’s mother and father hardly payed attention to their kids. Like when her mother doesn’t cook meals, or paying attention to them when they were in danger. Janet and her siblings had to
He had been scared about being at the bottom of the food chain again. He pulled through well, but had a couple of social issues as this stage in his life progressed. For example, he had some experiences with peer pressure by his fellow classmates. It was important for him to go through this, because he needed to learn about standing up for what he believes in.
“The Joy Luck Club,” expresses the basic complications of the adult world from the pressure to make the most money, be the best at this, care for your family, and on top of that be the best spouse. In “The Catcher in the Rye”, Holden fears the complications and complexities of the adult world and wants to stay a simple kid forever. It is his perception that adults lie, cheat, and steal, and they are all just “big phonies.” In “Huckleberry Finn,” we not only learn adults lie, cheat, and steal, we learn Huck knows more about the world then most of the adults even though he lacks guidance from his father or the community. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” this same scenario can be found because young Scout develops deep perspectives on adult situations better than the adults.
From an early age Jones was exposed to religion, specifically the Pentecostal sect of Christianity. With no father figure to look up to he turned to the pastors in his church for a role model. Watching the local pastors speak moved Jones; he id...
Growing up and becoming mature can be an intimidating experience; it is difficult to let go of one’s childhood and embrace the adult world. For some people, this transition from youthfulness to maturity can be much more difficult than for others. These people often try to hold on to their childhood as long as they can. Unfortunately, life is not so simple. One cannot spend their entire life running from the responsibilities and hardships of adulthood because they will eventually have to accept the fact that they have a role in society that they must fulfill as a responsible, mature individual. The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger follows the endeavours of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old teenage boy who faces a point in his life where he must make the transition from childhood to adulthood. In an attempt to retain his own childhood, he begins hoping to stop other young children from growing up and losing their innocence as well. As indicated by the title, “The Catcher in the Rye” is a book that explores a theme involving the preservation of innocence, especially of children. It is a story about a boy who is far too hesitant to grow up, and feels the need to ensure that no one else around him has to grow up either. His own fear of maturity and growing up is what leads to Holden’s desire to become a “catcher in the rye” so he can save innocent children from becoming part of the “phoniness” of the adult world.
matures and becomes a better person, facts from the book show just the opposite. Henry
If you walk into a book store coming of age novels are everywhere to be found. Most of these novels focus on the times in our lives when we are most susceptible to trying new things and when we think we know everything. The teenage years are what no one wants to go back to yet we can’t stop reading about them. Some examples of these novels include ‘To kill a Mockingbird’, ‘The Outsiders’, and ‘Looking for Alibrandi’. These books focus on the ugly duckling stage of a swan’s life through to when they transform into a majestic swan. No book shows this better than the Peter Goldsworthy’s book Maestro.
What is maturity? When does one mature? Maturity defined by a dictionary means “fully developed physically; fully grown,” but it also depends on the way one acts. Although one is grown up, it does not mean one acts poised and sophisticated as expected. After the Trojan War, the main character Odysseus is on a long journey to return to his home, Ithaca. The problem is the kingdom is overrun by suitors; his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus, do their best to keep them out of the palace. In the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus transitions from being immature to mature as he is placed in Xenia,the Greek custom of hospitality for guests through encounters with Polyphemus, Circe, and Alcinous.
Over all, the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee have grown and matured throughout the whole novel. Boo’s maturity development is shown when he faces his fear of being with the outside world, Aunt Alexandra having some difficulties facing prejudice but, becoming more accepting of others, and Scout developing and learning lessons that she could apply to her everyday life. It shows that no matter whom the person is or what their troubles are, they all grow and mature in their own unique ways.
J.D. Salinger and John Knowles both accomplished their description of their protagonists reaching their level of maturity through literary elements. They provided excellent examples of a teen growing up; and A Separate Peace and The Catcher in the Rye have at least one moral that one can rely on. In conclusion, the conflicts in the stories were things that I could actually relate to and I can expect to experience the same things that the characters experienced.
“Growing up” is a very broad term that is used without a true, consistent definition. In essence, it describes and encompasses themes of coming of age and the loss of innocence as a person moves from child to adult. In many respects, people view this change as a specific, pivotal moment in a person’s life, such as an eighteenth birthday, or the day a person leaves their parents’ house. This idea of having a crucial moment in life, which provides the open door into adulthood, is portrayed in many novels. It is easy to find a death that occurs, or a specific event that causes a character to “grow up” prematurely, but many times, contrary to most beliefs, that exact event is not the turn of the key leading through the doors to maturity. It is rather just a small push which starts a domino effect. This is the same scenario in the novel All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. This novel proves that loss of innocence is a learning process rather than the result of a
Maturity is commonly used word, but when asked what the word means many people simply shrug their shoulders. Maturity isn’t a word that has a clear definition. Being based primarily on one’s connotation, it doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone. Personally I picked this word up through context. However, upon doing a careful study of where this word originates and other’s connotation’s, I feel I’ve achieved a relatively good understanding. Webster claims the word to mean “based on slow careful consideration,” but I feel there is much more to this word than that.