Coming of age is a time that everyone goes through Teens are constantly changing like the weather. Many teens can struggle during this time but what results from these changes can be a better more mature adult. The changes that come with coming of age can affect someone’s entire future In the story “Marigolds”, Collier shows that when you become a teenager, you go through personal growth and change. Teens start realizing the real word and all the bad things that come along with it Also instead of being self»absorbecl, teens gain compassion and care about others. In the process of coming of age, teens also develop a public image and focus on other people‘s opinions about them. One of the good things that can come out of coming of age is gaining compassion. For example, in “Marigolds”, Lizbeth says she feels ashamed for ruining Miss Lottie’s flowers and she says, “This was the beginning of compassion, and one cannot have both compassion and innocence” (224).
The evidence shows that Lizbeth lost her innocence at this moment but what came along with that loss was compassion. At this moment, Lizbeth becomes compassionate towards Lottie because she finally understands that Lottie planted the marigolds to add beauty in the midst of the entire struggle and they act as a symbol of hope. Another example of this is in Something Wicked this Way Comes, when in the beginning of the novel Jim wants to go on the carousel and doesn’t consider what Will thinks about it, but later on when he goes on the carousel he tries to grab Will’s hand (270). This shows that Jim is compassionate because he ends up choosing Will and not the evil side. This time he does consider Will’s feelings and his opinion. After the boys start getting involved with the carnival they are forced to mature quickly and Jim changes to be a more compassionate person. When children mature into their teenage years, they often become less self-centered and more benevolent. Another big part of coming of age for teens is realizing the harsh adult world around them. For instance Lizbeth says, “We children were only vaguely aware of the extent of our poverty“ (214). The evidence shows that when Lizbeth was still a child she didn’t realize the severity of her poverty and understand what kind of situation she was in, Lizbeth was in a protective bubble where she was blinded by her own naivetyt In the real world, kids are often kept in a bubble where every area of their life is perfect and they see nothing but the positive in their life. Another example is when Lizbeth says, for all the smoldering emotions of that summer swelled in me and burst» the great need for my mother who was never there, the hopelessness of our poverty and degradationm” (Lines 354 -358).
The evidence shows that Lizbeth is realizing how her family is in poverty and struggling. It‘s hard for her to accept now that she is seeing things without naivety protecting her, In the real world, many teens struggle with this part of coming of age too because sometimes the truth is unbearable, Part of becoming a teen is recognizing the world for what it is In the process of coming of age, teens are more concerned with their image and other’s opinions matter more to them. For instance in the poem “Hanging Fire”, the subject of the poem says, “I have nothing to wear tomorrow”(230, Line 31), This shows that the girl in the poem cares about her appearance. She probably has a lot of clothes but nothing that she thinks would be accepted by her peers, or generally society.
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Some people might say that teens becoming self-conscious is a bad thing, but eventually the teens will get over that and build more self—confidence. Being selfeconscious isn’t a bad thing. In today’s society teens are subject to so much criticism and judgement with the popularity of social media apps, which pressures them to conform. Another example is in “Marigolds” when Lizbeth says, “The child in me sulked and said it was all in fun, bttt the woman in me flinched at the thought of the malicious attack that I had led“(220). The quotation shows that through the woman in her, which is the more mature side of her, Lizbeth starts worrying about how her actions will be viewed by others. The contrast between Lizbeth’s childish side and her more mature side is apparent because the child in her didn’t care what others thought and “said it was all in in fun. Another event that happens during coming of age, is becoming more self-conscious than in the childhood years. All of the developments that happen in the coming of age stage of life is crucial to the remainder of someone’s life. The changes are drastic, but what is created can contribute to a better person. The story “Marigolds” by Collier shows that coming of age is a Lime full of change Coming of age can be viewed in many ways and everyone experiences it in their own unique way.
