Nick Hornbys’ novel ‘About a boy’ is a tale of two people growing up in two very different ways. Throughout the novel both the protagonists lead a change of self, which is a direct result of the actions of each other. Essentially both the protagonists allow each other to take a look at the world from a different perspective. The journey that the two characters experience in growing up is alike that of our own growing up, in that we have experiences that allow us to mature and become someone who is accepted by society. Both the characters give each other an insight on the way in which they lead their lives that allows them to better deal with their own problems. Each character helps the other fit in with his social class by showing them the things in life that should be important to them and for this they make them better people. Hornbys novel makes it easy to make parallels between our own life situations and that of the two protagonists, by giving the characters problems which are faced by all people at some stage in their lives.
Wills character undergoes an exceedingly large change throughout the novel. In the beginning scenes Hornby presents Will as a shallow, egotistical man, which is made evident through his interactions with family friends John and Christine. The arrival of Marcus to Wills life brings a great deal of change about. Although at first Will has little compassion for Marcus when they first meet on ‘dead duck day’ the two soon establish a bond. Although Will is used to relationships of convenience, free of any major attachments Marcus brings something different, at first his relationship is simply one of pity. However as Will continues to help Marcus, he only becomes more involved with the family he so despera...
... middle of paper ...
...a story about growing up for the two protagonists Will and Marcus, but it is also allows the reader to examine certain aspects of their own life which correspond with the problems faced by the main characters. The two main characters are the primary factors in each others development which eventually leads to them being socially accepted by the people around them. The stories’ ending is justified in showing the transformation that has occurred through both of the characters. The sentence affirms Marcus’ change into a teenager as he says ‘I hate bloody Joni Mitchell’ and reinforces the sacrifice Will has made to be with Rachel. The changes that each character makes are phenomenal. This final statement by Hornby is meant to reinforce the change that has occurred in the characters and allow the reader to reflect on changes that may have occurred within their own lives.
Themes of hope, success, and wealth overpower The Great Gatsby, leaving the reader with a new way to look at the roaring twenties, showing that not everything was good in this era. F. Scott Fitzgerald creates the characters in this book to live and recreate past memories and relationships. This was evident with Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship, Tom and Daisy’s struggling marriage, and Gatsby expecting so much of Daisy and wanting her to be the person she once was. The theme of this novel is to acknowledge the past, but do not recreate and live in the past because then you will not be living in the present, taking advantage of new opportunities.
Stories about youth and the transition from that stage of life into adulthood form a very solidly populated segment of literature. In three such stories, John Updike’s “A & P,” Richard Wright’s “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” and James Joyce’s “Araby”, young men face their transitions into adulthood. Each of these boys faces a different element of youth that requires a fundamental shift in their attitudes. Sammy, in “A&P”, must make a moral decision about his associations with adult institutions that mistreat others. Dave, in “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” struggles with the idea that what defines a man is physical power. The narrator of “Araby,” struggles with the mistaken belief that the world can be easily categorized and kept within only one limited framework of thought. Each of these stories gives us a surprise ending, a view of ourselves as young people, and a confirmation that the fears of youth are but the foundation of our adulthood.
In the story “Peaches”, Reginald McKnight introduces his main characters, one being Marcus. Marcus is a good guy, but he is described in different ways, due to his confidence and insecurity. Throughout the work, author Reginald McKnight takes great care to illustrate situations and describe feelings and personalities that many men experience. This way, even though Marcus is having trouble controlling himself around other people and arrogant at times, he still tries to be a better person for Rita and for himself. He does this by going out of the country to experience other cultures and enhance his morals. On one level Marcus demonstrates that he is incredibly confident, on the other level he shows signs of being insecure, manipulative, unstable and incapable of achieving change.
...f one defies the natural law and strives to recover the loss, he or she is already on the road to a tragic end. More ironically, the efforts draw the character farther from what they wanted; the rape made Blanche even less credulous, the funeral made Willy even less respected, the request made Gatsby less favorable by Daisy. All three modernist pieces presented false beliefs about life and showed the consequences of obeying those believe. The consequences revealed a bloody truth – the loss of the hope cannot be recovered. What is lost is already the past; only the future can be earned by the hard work done in the present.
Nick and Jordan are intrigued to discover who Gatsby was. Unexpectedly, Nick discovers a man who remembered him from WWI was Gatsby. Nick illustrates the idiosyncratic Gatsby’s exquisite appearance, his solitude since he is a non-alcoholic, and his reputation. Nick crafts Gatsby’s description, “His tanned skin was drawn attractively tight on his face and his short hair looked as though it were trimmed every day...the fact that he was not drinking helped to set him off from his guests...no one swooned backward on Gatsby, and no French bob touched Gatsby’s shoulder, and no singing quartets were formed with Gatsby’s head for one link” (Fitzgerald 50). Nick’s fascination for Gatsby is clearly evident during the chapter. Since Nick’s fascination for Gatsby is insatiable and he is neighbors with Gatsby, a bond may be established between each other. Also, Gatsby’s solitude is caused by the misinterpretation of his guests of his true persona and there oblivious of his existence. This solitude is displayed in the gratitude he received from the opportunistic, unloyal women. From the information asserted, Tom and Gatsby’s personalities are clearly
There lies a child within every human being. No matter how small, some sense of freedom and hope tends to endure in adults, as they once experienced youth. While Tom, Daisy and Jordan exhibit how they share this feeling in the novel, this youthful instinct most evidently appears in the behaviors of Jay Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson. Because they never learn how to survive in the real, adult world, their uncontrollable attitudes catalyze their early deaths. In F. Scott Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson and Jay Gatsby represent childlike desire and the corruption of maturity in the 1920s. Their deaths signify the actuality that childhood terminates, exposing the inevitable reality of adulthood.
Knowles deliberately juxtaposes Gene’s social awkwardness to Finny’s natural athleticism and charisma to suggest an imbalance of power between the two boys. Set in Devon School, described as “very athletic” (Knowles 13), Finny, “an extraordinary athlete…the best athlete in the school,” (16) establishes himself to be popular, tilting the balance of power. Stating there is no one “in this school – in this world – whom [he] could trust” (53), Knowles introduces Gene as a distrustful individual. Gene’s hesitant nature lets the animated Finny take charge of their relationship. To create power imbalance, the author purposefully creates Gene and Finny with wildly different personalities.
... touch with the whirl wind feelings of adolescence. Holden’s mental instability evokes both worry and pity in the readers because he becomes more desperate and more irate as the novel progresses. The ending of the novel provides little more clarity than the beginning. Holden is no closer to finding a compromise between his ‘idealistic world’ and real life. What the reader can be sure of is thus far in the history of the human race, no one has bypassed the embarrassing, confusing but occasionally fantastic experience of growing up. Whether growing up was a pleasant experience or not, we all will look back on our teenagers years, be it to learn from our mistakes, reminisce our glory days, or regret words unsaid. In the case of Holden Caulfield, he will always be conflicted by remembering the pleasure of his past while accepting the responsibility of his future.
... age of Gene Forrester. Because Finny causes Gene to grow up, we are able to realize that one must grow up to move on in life. In that process of growing up, several people impact your life. This novel shows us how our identity is basically created by those who are present in our lives; however we must not measure our abilities against another person (Overview: A Separate Peace 2). We are shown how the impact of one person can make a great difference. The goodness in people is what one should always take away from a relationship. This is shown in the relationship between Gene and Finny. The experiences Finny gives Gene cause him to grow up and become a better person because of them.
“Boys” by Rick Moody summarizes the life journey of two stereotypical boys and how they gain power from the experiences they face. The boys face both positive experiences and tragedies that impacts their amount of power. In the short story, the author is conveying the idea that as the boys mature they obtain more power. He shows this through the literary devices conflict, tone, and repetition.
The premise of the coming of age dilemma lies within the understanding of where a person wants to be and how they get there. It is a nuanced time period that startles, yet emboldens the lives of many young adults, as they try to find their individualized niche in society. In The Catcher in the Rye and Good Will Hunting, main characters Holden Caulfield and Will Hunting experience the effects of becoming adults, but they still end up being two unique characters due to specific notions of their lives that add dimension to the process of finding themselves. While Caulfield and Hunting are both implicated in the battles of aggression and attachment, their distinct experiences in the past demonstrate how the past implicates itself with the coming
In “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid” and “Bad Boy” they both have one central idea, that being different is difficult, but both express this in very different ways. Both authors share stories from them being different. The authors share experiences on how they struggled to fit in and how it was a difficult time.
Alex is a 15 year-old boy cast into a problematic future society. He is the dominating only child of an ordinary working class family. He attends corrective school during the day and seeks violent pleasures with his droogs during the night. As ...
A significant relationship in this text is the relationship between will and Marcus, will and Marcus develop a relationship throughout the text that help them function as human beings. Both characters need this relationship because will has no purpose for his life and Marcus needs the support from a male figure. Will is a 36 years old male who is single, selfish, Immature, is looking for single parents to take advantage of. Marcus on the other hand is a 12 year old boy, lives with his single mum, is bullied, abandoned by his friends, and finds it hard to fit in. These two characters are completely different in all aspects, but this only brings them closer. Will is reluctant to commit to a relationship and so when he finds Rachael who is just as reluctant as himself he has to start lying to her about him having a child so he can join a single parents group called SPAT, this is how Marcus is introduced to Will. Wills first impression of Marcus are that he is “weird kid”(Pg 46), he also thinks that Marcus acts older than he actually is whereas Will is an immature adult and people believe that he is just a child in a grownups body. As the text progresses the relationship that Marcus and will establish grows stronger and stronger. Because Marcus has no father f...
“About a boy” is a story about twelve year old Marcus and 36-year old Will and how they develop their friendship. Fiona, Marcus’ mother, tries to not be like everyone else and tells Marcus to be himself, which in his situation means to be like her, and is therefore making troubles for him with fitting in at his new school. Will on the other hand is the complete different from Marcus. He is a grown-up man but thinks like a teenager. The points I will be addressing are how depression is shown in the novel, reactions to suicide and how the characters heal and how this affects Will and Marcus’ relationship together.