Coming of age

A detailed Summary of Coming of age

Coming of age is a time of trials and triumphs in a young adolescent’s life. It involves many obstacles that need to be over come in order to become an adult. However obstacles are not the only things that a youth will encounter. Through the journey they will happen upon successes and triumphs that will add to the shaping of who they are to become. One can easily assume that the events taking place in the world would have a strong influence on how a youth comes of age. It is easy to assume that the coming of age in the 1920s would be different from coming of age in the 1980s. Both the 1920s and the 1980s were times of radical change for our nation. How people viewed the world was forever changed due to the events taking place. One would think that these changes would have a major impact on the concept of coming of age during these times. However, coming of age during the two decades was extremely similar. The psychological changes that take place when a young a!

dult comes of age remained the same, despite the differences between the two decades. Ray Bradbury and Judy Blume both concentrated on the ‘coming of age’ in the 1920s and the 1920s. Through their novels the fact that coming of age during the

Not only is there a generation gap present in Dandelion Wine there is also one in Summer Sisters. This is visible when Lamb’s mother comes to visit the family at the Vineyard. Lamb’s mother, Regina, is disappointed when she sees whom her son is about to marry. As a result of her animosity towards Abby, Regina makes the stay at the house as miserable as she possibly can. Regina makes fun of Abby’s religion, the way she acts and belittles her constantly (Blume 82). Caitlin cannot seem to comprehend how her grandmother can blatantly make fun of a woman like that, because of the mere fact that Regina does not believe in the same religion. In the end, Caitlin blows up at her grandmother (Blume 85). This exemplifies the generation gap between Caitlin and her grandmother. Since Caitlin is being brought up in a much more open-minded society than her grandmother was, she cannot understand that being different wasn’t very accepted in her grandmother̵!

two decades was extremely similar is evident. Bradbury uses the protagonist, Douglas Spaulding, while Blume uses Victoria Leonard. Both are adolescents who are beginning their journey of ‘coming of age’ and are feeling the impact of the events taking place in the world around them.

Due to available technology, people began to do what was considered impossible. Dreams were now becoming realities. For example, Charles Lindbergh flew the first transatlantic flight and Amelia Earhart also became the first woman to complete a transatlantic flight. In addition, areas of the unexplored world were now explored. For instance, the South Pole expedition was in the planning stage. The significance of this is that none of the poles had ever been visited before. On a darker note, the electric chair was now being used as a form of capital punishment for Death Row inmates.

In both Dandelion Wine and Summer Sisters, Douglas and Victoria start off the summer with “innocent” minds. Lacking experience, they both start the summer thinking that it will be magical and full of accomplishments. In Dandelion Wine, Douglas starts off the summer by waking up the town (Bradbury 2). At this point in the story, Douglas feels that the whole world is in his hands. He feels that he can control his own destiny and determine how his life will be. In the beginning of Summer Sisters, Victoria is asked to go to Martha’s Vineyard with Caitlin, who is introduced as the richest and most popular girl at her school. This comes as a surprise to Victoria because she comes from a large family that can barely make ends meet financially. Due to unfulfilled dreams, miscarriages, and financial burdens, the Leonard family had deteriorated as a family that did not emotionally ‘know’ one another. Never had Victoria thought that the most popular!

The decade of the 1920s is often described as being “funny, sad, often heroic”(Time Life Books, 24). In many history books, the 20’s have been referred to as “roaring,” however for most people this time period was somewhat dull (Time Life Books, 76). A majority of citizens worked in fields, factories, or non-airconditioned offices. To the masses, major events that took place were looked upon as a newspaper article. Meaning that they did not get to experience what was being publicized. Only a few select groups had the luxury of living the “Hollywood” life. The nation in the 1920s was considered to be “self conscious and unsure of itself, suspended between the innocence of a child and the wisdom of maturity.”

Gleitman, Henry. Psychology: Understanding Human Behavior. New York: W.W. Norton and Company

Mackler, Cindy. “Judy Blume on sex, the suburbs, and Summer Sisters.” 9 (1998) 44-45.

In both novels, society plays a huge role in the coming of age process. The 1920s society and the 1980s society, people are trying to imp

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Approximate Word count = 3865
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous