The Transition From Childhood to Adulthood in Literature
In today's world, everything moves fast and we don’t take the time to acknowledge important
milestones in people's lives, such as moving on from childhood. As people reach this turning
point, they often have conflicting emotions progressing through this transition. In “To Every
Thing, There is a Season”, by Alistair Macleod, the narrator faces the fear of growing up. He
realizes that he has grown up and that it is not that bad and that everyone goes through it. Romeo
and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, explores coming of age in an environment of family
conflict. Juliet tries to make her own decisions but her family doesn’t approve. In Elie Wiesel’s
biography Night, Eliezer was rushed into adulthood when his whole life is uprooted and moved
to a concentration camp where he gets beaten and watches as thousands of people die. His only
reason to live is for his father. In all three works, coming of age becomes the defining factor in
the lives of the protagonists. Each faces their future with determination as they make decisions
affecting their maturation and the world they live in; however, Juliet dies in order to achieve her
purpose in coming of age whereas the other two live to fulfill their goals. The narrator, Juliet and
Eliezer are all forced by circumstances to grow up in a short period of time in order to cope with
the world around them. All three characters have different experiences. The narrator of “To
Every Thing There is a Season” came of age peacefully and surrounded by people who cared for
him. Juliet came of age surrounded by love, hate and death. Coming of age in this environment
caused her to sacrifice herself in the name of love. Eliezer came of age in a concentration camp
surrounded by death, violence and hatred. Coming of age is an important milestone in life; how
one handles it and the environment in which it occurs will set the course for the rest of one’s life.
, This milestone is an essential part of the narrator’s life in MacLeod’s “To Every Thing There Is a
Season”. Being surrounded by loved ones makes this transition easier for him.
“To Every Thing There is a Season” by Alistair Macleod is a coming of age story that is
told through the eyes of an adult looking back on his eleven-year-old self. The storyteller has to
face his fear of growing up and move forward into adulthood. This is shown when the storyteller
states “I am troubled myself about the nature of Santa Claus and I am trying to hang on to him
any way that I can. It is true that at my age I no longer really believe in him yet I have hoped in
all his possibilities as fiercely as I can” (Macleod). This is an important part of the story because
the storyteller talks about how he knows that he’s moving on from childhood but he doesn’t want
to fully accept that he’s growing up. Later in the story, the narrator considers how his mother got
married at sixteen, by saying “seems strange to contemplate and perhaps childhood is shorter for
some than it is for others.” (Macleod) The narrator knows that he is growing up and he’s scared
of what growing up will have in store for him even though he realizes that he is lucky to have
had a childhood as long as he has had. He faces this fear of growing up by surrounding himself
with loved ones and accepting that he is moving out of childhood. These moments are significant
parts of his journey because he explores different ideas about growing up and what it means.
Facing one’s fears, accepting fate and growing up are also essential elements of the development
of the two lovers in Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a story about two people from opposite
warring families who fall in love. At the start of the play, Juliet is a naive thirteen-year-old who
respects her mother and father's wishes. This is shown when Capulet says “My child is yet a
stranger in the world; She hath not seen the change of fourteen years.” (Shakespeare). This is
significant because it shows Juliet is at the beginning of her coming of age journey. As the play
In today's world, everything moves fast and we don’t take the time to acknowledge important
milestones in people's lives, such as moving on from childhood. As people reach this turning
point, they often have conflicting emotions progressing through this transition. In “To Every
Thing, There is a Season”, by Alistair Macleod, the narrator faces the fear of growing up. He
realizes that he has grown up and that it is not that bad and that everyone goes through it. Romeo
and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, explores coming of age in an environment of family
conflict. Juliet tries to make her own decisions but her family doesn’t approve. In Elie Wiesel’s
biography Night, Eliezer was rushed into adulthood when his whole life is uprooted and moved
to a concentration camp where he gets beaten and watches as thousands of people die. His only
reason to live is for his father. In all three works, coming of age becomes the defining factor in
the lives of the protagonists. Each faces their future with determination as they make decisions
affecting their maturation and the world they live in; however, Juliet dies in order to achieve her
purpose in coming of age whereas the other two live to fulfill their goals. The narrator, Juliet and
Eliezer are all forced by circumstances to grow up in a short period of time in order to cope with
the world around them. All three characters have different experiences. The narrator of “To
Every Thing There is a Season” came of age peacefully and surrounded by people who cared for
him. Juliet came of age surrounded by love, hate and death. Coming of age in this environment
caused her to sacrifice herself in the name of love. Eliezer came of age in a concentration camp
surrounded by death, violence and hatred. Coming of age is an important milestone in life; how
one handles it and the environment in which it occurs will set the course for the rest of one’s life.
, This milestone is an essential part of the narrator’s life in MacLeod’s “To Every Thing There Is a
Season”. Being surrounded by loved ones makes this transition easier for him.
“To Every Thing There is a Season” by Alistair Macleod is a coming of age story that is
told through the eyes of an adult looking back on his eleven-year-old self. The storyteller has to
face his fear of growing up and move forward into adulthood. This is shown when the storyteller
states “I am troubled myself about the nature of Santa Claus and I am trying to hang on to him
any way that I can. It is true that at my age I no longer really believe in him yet I have hoped in
all his possibilities as fiercely as I can” (Macleod). This is an important part of the story because
the storyteller talks about how he knows that he’s moving on from childhood but he doesn’t want
to fully accept that he’s growing up. Later in the story, the narrator considers how his mother got
married at sixteen, by saying “seems strange to contemplate and perhaps childhood is shorter for
some than it is for others.” (Macleod) The narrator knows that he is growing up and he’s scared
of what growing up will have in store for him even though he realizes that he is lucky to have
had a childhood as long as he has had. He faces this fear of growing up by surrounding himself
with loved ones and accepting that he is moving out of childhood. These moments are significant
parts of his journey because he explores different ideas about growing up and what it means.
Facing one’s fears, accepting fate and growing up are also essential elements of the development
of the two lovers in Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a story about two people from opposite
warring families who fall in love. At the start of the play, Juliet is a naive thirteen-year-old who
respects her mother and father's wishes. This is shown when Capulet says “My child is yet a
stranger in the world; She hath not seen the change of fourteen years.” (Shakespeare). This is
significant because it shows Juliet is at the beginning of her coming of age journey. As the play
