Analysis Of The First Part Last By Angela Johnsonson

The Coming of Age

The First Part Last

How can you come of age without giving anything up? Coming of age means to mature and grow up. This is exactly what Bobby had to do. In the book “The First Part Last” by Angela Johnson, a sixteen year old boy named Bobby has a baby girl named Feather with his girlfriend Nia. The question is, did he come of age, and how? Becoming mature can give someone new responsibilities, yet can also take things away from them. Change is also an important part of life because when someone or something enters or leaves a life it can change their fate. The last part of coming of age is, their whole definition of life is different, furthermore, they have to restart with more power but also, difficult adventures and responsibilities.

Bobby did not know what this meant until he tore up the adoption papers for Feather. Frank was dead after Feather was born yet, Bobby stated that he swore he could of seen him. This symbolizes him realizing that he has become a man by taking responsibility of his daughter, even though he was only sixteen. Another key thing to remember is that he gave up his childhood. In the book he took his basketball and set it down on the sidewalk and, by itself, it rolled away, that symbolizes his childhood leaving him. It also symbolizes that he is taking responsibility of her and not depending so much on his mother anymore. He noticed once that he had lost something and later realized he lost his old self. Change also affected how Bobby grew up because in the beginning Nia and Bobby were going to give up Feather to another family, but after Nia went brain dead he decided he did not want to lose anyone else. When someone leaves a person’s life, they loose all the times that they had and all the times that they could have had. It was also hard on Bobby because he knew had Feather and she looked so much like Nia that the pain of losing her hit him harder than ever, but did not stop him from taking care of