Thoughts About the Definition of Coming of Age

For me, coming of age means taking part in what you want to do and what you are capable of. By doing the things in life you can do and like to do, you become more like an independent, powerful adult. Coming of age involves a certain amount of experience: enough to realize what you can or can't do, and enough experience to tell what you like and dislike. Coming of age means to ameliorate in some sense, at least as far as discovering through experience the things that suit you and taking charge to do those things. In this way, coming of age is often an ongoing process of gaining a purpose in life, and can't necessarily be pinpointed to a single event. Even late in life, people keep finding things they can do and doing those things, so coming of age never really ends.

I understand coming of age as mostly a mental shift or process, but physical change can play a role in becoming an adult too. Both physical maturation and deterioration can affect coming of age because they both show the things you are capable of. Getting stronger and focusing on physical growth may allow you to gain experience (which is central to coming of age) by conquering physical obstacles. But becoming physically weaker or sick does not act as an anti-coming-of-age; to the contrary, losing physical strength can spur your mental maturation by showing emotional strength. By overcoming struggles related to health or the body, you develop some of the personal responsibility and willpower needed to act as an adult.

Another key aspect of coming of age is being proud of yourself, or being able to vouch for your actions. What sets many children apart from adults is a clear motivation (or lack thereof) behind their actions; while kids may do things impulsively or not be able to explain themselves, adults should be able to show why they have made various decisions. To come of age not only means finding what you are capable of doing and doing those things, but also being able to justify your actions. I think when it comes to growing up, someone who has a wide range of experiences and feels accomplished from what they have done may be more mature than someone who is not fulfilling their potential. It will be interesting to notice how characters in the novels we read this semester fit into my own ideas about coming of age. I look forward to seeing how characters develop their ideas of what they want to do and what they are capable of doing in life, along with how they grow to feel accomplished from the things they have done.