Coming Of Age Through Various Perspectives In Tree Different Narratives
People often wonder where they belong in a culture or society. As one progresses through life they may come across many challenges and expectations, irrespective of age. Being a teen transitioning into the adult life of today's society is not an effortless or a natural thing to do. That is why the end of adolescence is a milestone, celebrated throughout the world. Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, Confirmations, Quinceaneras, and "Sweet 16" parties all represent the end of adolescence and the beginning of adulthood. But coming of age is not all about big over-the-top parties and freedom. Teens in the midst of maturity deal with disappointment and the struggle of finding an identity.
Three unique narratives perceive coming of age in diverse ways and through different perspectives. “In Mrs. Tilscher's Class” by Carol Ann Duffy, Marigolds By Eugenia W. Collier and The Jacket by Gary Soto, coming of age is exhibited through children and teenagers navigating the struggles of adolescence. “In Mrs. Tilscher’s Class” is a poem set in 1967 amid the last year of primary school for the author, Carol Ann Duffy. Duffy reminisces of a happy time while feeling a sense of apprehension in leaving behind her school. Through the use of imagery, Duffy displayed how "over the Easter term, the inky tadpoles changed / from commas into exclamation marks." The "inky tadpoles" describe herself and her classmates, the notion of swift and inevitable change is signaled by the imagery of tadpoles evolving into frogs, first changing "from commas into exclamation marks."
The children are eager to grow and obtain independence, therefore, they are growing throughout the school year and through there own personal experiences. The eagerness of the children is expressed through there excitement to leave the school and explore the world; "You ran through the gates, impatient to be grown, / as the sky split open into a thunderstorm." This child leaves school with no regrets, but soon “the sky split open into a thunderstorm.” The child walks into the “thunderstorm” that is life, not realising that there can be no reliance on a safe space, especially in life and when finding your true identity. Marigolds by Eugenia W. Collier is a short narrative, published in 1969, about a teenage girl, Lizabeth, growing up in rural Maryland in the midst of the Great Depression.
Through intimate and sincere tones, Collier was able to express her deepest emotions while reflecting on the moments “when childhood faded and womanhood began. " True “womanhood” began for Lizabeth when she was caught red-handed destroying Miss Lottie's precious marigolds, her most prized possession and only beacon of hope in there decrepit town. Miss Lottie may have been repulsive and witch-like, but she "dared to create beauty in the midst of ugliness and sterility." As Lizabeth demolishes the town's only true source of beauty, she is left ashamed. It was when she was sitting among the “uprooted an ruined flowers”, however, that marked the end of her innocence and the beginning of a journey of self-discovery so that she could find the person that she needs to be, for herself and her family. Lizabeth's end of innocence, also marked "the beginning of compassion, and one cannot have both compassion and innocence."
As Lizabeth lost her innocence and acquired her compassion, she knew that it is impossible to be aware of the suffering someone is going through if you are innocent, like a child. This memory from childhood has been stained in her mind, thus alluding to the fact that is was a turning point in Lizabeth’s life. Her feeling of contrition and remembrance towards this memory has inspired her as an adult to plant marigolds: "and I too have planted marigolds." The Jacket by Gary Soto entails a teenage boy dealing with the struggles of appearance while living a poverty-ridden life and attending a public middle school. Through symbolism and reflective tones, Soto allowed us to sympathize and understand what it was like to wear "a jacket the color of day-old guacamole" as a teenager. Soto desired a biker jacket, but instead, he received a horrible and unattractive jacket that he could never wear to school without vulgar remarks shadowing him.
Despite the jacket being vile and revolting, it was constantly supporting him, "that green ugly brother who breathed over my shoulder that and ever since." The jacket serves as a symbol of his maturity and harsh challenges in his life. Soto uses a reflective tone throughout his narrative to show how he began to physically and emotionally mature with the jacket, "and it was about that time that I began to grow." While his "chest puffed up with muscle" the jacket still continued to grow with him. The jacket "which had become the ugly brother who tagged along wherever I went.", turned into a brotherly figure for Soto. A brother is someone who is supportive and always a friend. His jacket was most definitely not his first choice, but like a brother, it supported him to understand his situation at home, that being that his family is living in poverty, which then led him towards acceptance of himself.
In all three unique narratives, coming of age is exhibited through children and discovering their identity throughout the struggles of adolescence. These stories each present a different perspective on how to find themselves; through simple, everyday moments, life-changing experiences and self-acceptance. Teens do all this while learning how to be mature and independent, while also understanding their culture and the ways influences their identity. These texts bring awareness to and value to one's culture and one's unique identity as society may attempt to take it away or insult it.
