Rumspringa's Coming Of Age

Coming of age can occur in multiple environments or ages, as demonstrated in Monica Hesse's coming-of-age novel The Girl In the Blue Coat, Leticia Pfeiffer and Christiane Muñez’s article “13 Coming of Age Traditions From Around the World,” and Sylvia Plath’s short story “Initiation.”In The Girl in the Blue Coat, Hanneke comes of age as a result of her environment and her age when the Nazis invade Holland during World War II. The harsh environment of wartime Holland forces Hanneke to mature in order to survive, unlike others her age who slowly mature into adulthood. “We now have to put up with their presence, but we got to keep our buildings. It’s a bad trade-off. It’s all bad trade-offs these days, unless, like me, you know how to end up on the profitable side of

For example, Amish teenagers come of age through the Rumspringa tradition as explained by Leticia Pfeffer’s and Christina Nuñez’s article “13 Amazing Coming of Age Traditions From Around the World.” Rumspringa is an Amish tradition celebrating a teenager’s choice to become an adult in the Amish church. Leticia Pfeffer and Christina Nuñez explain the tradition, “The purpose of this period is to allow Amish youth the opportunity to see and experience the world beyond their culture and upbringing. In this way, returning to their community and way of life thus is entirely their choice.” (Pfeffer and Nuñez) For most Amish teenagers Rumspringa is the first time they have left their familiar and insulated communities, which can be difficult. Rumspringa can help Amish teenagers choose, “In Amish tradition, Rumspringa marks the time when youth turn 16 and are finally able to enjoy unsupervised weekends away from family.” (Pfeffer and Nuñez) Rumspringa brings teenagers to adulthood by giving them difficult choices, giving them a chance to leave their traditional community, and forcing them to make an adult decision to return to their community and