Transitions: From Boyhood to Manhood

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The older boys would be punished but it would be so overlooked that as soon as they were finished being punished, they would return from their beatings and give them back tenfold to the young boys who told on them. This section is actually one of my favorite parts. As he grows older, his style changes and he sees the real world as it really is as opposed to his fantasies he had when he was younger. A major development in the story is the actual act of becoming a man. Boys his age have a festival for many days that lead up to their circumcision, after which they become men. After this accomplishment, he still writes about his fears and his thoughts but he is much more wary to keep them to himself. And as he grows even older he moves away from home to attend Technical College for four years. These years change him very much and when he returns home he is much more of an adult and conducts himself in such a manner. The ending of the book was …show more content…

Truth be told, and as ignorant as it truly sounds, I believed Guinea to be in South America. I had never really given it much though. I had never really given much thought to the life and beliefs of the different African villages. The only familiarity I have with that topic is the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Similarly, Things Fall Apart has a coming of age tale; something that I am starting to believe is very important to different African villages. In the U.S. there isn’t a set age where we become a man. We grow facial hair, finish school, get a job, but I would argue that a “man” in the U.S. does not truly become a man to the extent and maturity of Camara Laye until he is in his 30’s. I’m not saying this is everybody, but I would say on average we in the U.S. refuse to grow up. We want to be treated as adults and we want freedom and to do things, but we still want to be able to run back home if we need help, something, I don’t think, that Laye would consider

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