Coming-of-age is defined as a person’s transition from childhood to adulthood, while attaining responsibility and maturity. Adulthood usually comes when a person has accepted responsibility for him or herself, is making independent decisions, and has established financial independence. Teenagers see the steps to adulthood as finding steady, full-time employment, moving out of Mom and Dad’s and living on one’s own, and culminating marriage and parenthood (Janus). While the time or age at which this transition occurs varies, it is nonetheless a universal process that everyone experiences. From films to literature, coming-of-age is a popular theme that our society promotes and empathizes with.
Literature
Bildungsromans are coming-of-age narratives that are found in literature. This genre, developed by Johann Carl Simon Morgenstern during the German Enlightenment, was first popularized in 1795 with the publication of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship. Bildungsromans explore the moral, psychological, intellectual, and social development of the protagonist. This results in the psychological evolution of the protagonist that many readers can identify with.
Typically, a bildungsroman follows a rigid outline. First, the protagonist, who is usually a sensitive and talented male, suffers a tragic loss or setback. This results in feeling emotions of isolation, confusion, and resentment towards society. The protagonist then leaves on a journey of self-discovery, only to experience conflicts, growth, crises, love affairs, adventure, or cruelty from society. This journey of self-discovery is usually long and exhausting, including multiple conflicts with the protagonist’s beliefs and the judgments of society. However, by the end, the protagonist experiences an awakening. The protagonist grows from his journey, establishes self-understanding, and is accepted by society. Structurally, this genre is narrated through first person of the protagonist. Dialogue is emphasized over plot-development, allowing readers to focus on the internal transformation of the protagonist. Furthermore, authors use the dialogue to voice their personal opinions about society.
While the bildungsroman is mainly associated with German narratives, this genre has extended its influence into English, French, and American literature. In the English bildungsroman, the protagonist’s journey is typically a move from a rural to urban society. The protagonist does not experience a positive transformation, and this is emphasized through themes like religious doubt and destruction within society. This negative transformation can also be observed in the French bildungsroman because protagonists in this genre frequently become disillusioned by society’s standards. In the American bildungsroman, themes like nationhood and alienation within cultures are emphasized. These deviations within American bildungsromans even extended to the development of a female bildungsroman, emphasizing the emotional and social growth of women in a defined social order.
Film and Television
Coming-of-age films follow the lives of adolescent or teenager characters as they undergo a formative experience and develop towards maturity. In addition to film, there are also coming-of-age television series that follow these characters over a longer period of time, making them more effective and relatable for viewers. Many people enjoy these television shows and movies because the themes, story lines, and characters are relatable with everyone who’s experienced adolescence. One of the most popular historical examples of a coming of age television series is “Happy Days”, although our generation may be more familiar with “Boy Meets World”.
The events that define coming-of-age films and television series are often called rites of passage into adulthood, and include losing one’s virginity, falling in love for the first time, graduating from high school, experiencing death of a loved one, or using alcohol or drugs for the first time. Many times, characters are faced with a significant decision that shapes the rest of their lives. Films and television series explore these decisions and emphasize the themes of self-discovery, belonging, and personal growth. Furthermore, they appeal to the emotions of the viewers by championing the unpopular and emphasizing weaknesses as strengths. Overall, coming-of-age films and television series focus on themes that relate to the experiences of the average teenager.
Courtesy of YouTube
Some of the most popular examples of our generation of coming of age films are the works of John Hughes, the godfather of this genre. His movies, such as “Sixteen Candles,” “captured teens perfectly—the longing, the passion, the wondering who you are” (Wilson). Other popular filmmakers of this genre include Cameron Crowe of “Say Anything”, Joel Schumacher of “St. Elmo’s Fire”, and Howard Deutch of “Pretty in Pink.” The common thread found in the movies of each of these directors is “middle- and upper-middle-class American teenagers wrestling with questions of identity and conformity, while trying to find love and embrace hope” (Gora 4).
Courtesy of YouTube
Society and Culture
In society, coming-of-age is defined as a person’s physical and emotional transition from childhood to adulthood. This age or transition varies amongst societies and cultures, whether it’s a legal convention of turning 18 to the painful ritual of a male circumcision. In the past, coming of age was mainly associated with the age of sexual maturity or religious responsibility; however, today, coming of age is determined by modern conventions of age. In western societies, when a person turns 18 years old, they are no longer considered a minor and are instead given the rights and responsibilities of a legal adult. At this age a person has the responsibilities to withhold contracts, vote on their leaders, serve their country, purchase lottery tickets and tobacco, and govern choices of their own life. Furthermore, at this age, most people leave the homes of their parents and enter the real world.
While immersing an adolescent with all these responsibilities can be overwhelming, parents attempt to ease this transition by gradually giving children more responsibilities as they grow older. Certain moments define this progress in a child’s life, such as finishing a year of grade school or acceptance of first job, and while these moments are celebratory and joyous, they also mark important maturing point in one’s life.
In many cultures, coming-of-age is celebrated with religious ceremonies or rights of passage. For example, at the age of 8 members of the Church of Latter Day Saints are baptized and become responsible for his or her own sins, whereas before this age their parents were responsible for their sins (Smith 68). An example of a non-religious right of passage can be seen with quinceañeras. This coming-of-age ceremony celebrated in Hispanic cultures occurs for girls at the age of 15 and celebrates a girl’s transition to womanhood. But whether the occasion is a 15th birthday, or a baptism, these ceremonies put more responsibility on the children that complete them.
A Latter Day Saint Baptism
Core Issues
-Adolescents feel social pressures and challenges to conform to society’s expectations
-The definition of a coming-of-age is blurred: whether it is a specific experience or a prolonged process
-With a coming-of-age, adolescents alter their perceptions of what is “normal” and deviate from society’s norms
Discussion Questions
-Does the media accurately portray adolescent development? Do you think the media has a negative influence on adolescent growth?
-What do you define as your “coming-of-age moment” and how has it affected you?
-Do you consider yourself an adult yet?
Relevant Links
Popular Themes in Coming-of-Age Movies:
http://www.tressugar.com/Coming--Age-Movie-Themes-7003037?page=0,0,0
A List of Relevant Novels: http://classiclit.about.com/od/novelbookreviews/tp/aatp_comingofag.htm
Movie Posters for 100s of Coming-of-Age Movies:
http://www.theskykid.com/movies/moviesreviews/the-ultimate-coming-of-age-movie-list/
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