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/
"All Grown Up." fanpop!. Web. 12 Mar 2010. <http://www.fanpop.com/spots/boy-meets-world/images/846701/title/all-grown-up >.
"Baptism." Mormonwiki. Web. 13 Mar 2010. <http://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/images/4/4b/Bautismo2.jpg>.
"Bar Mitzvah." KBY Congregations Together. Web. 14 Mar 2010.
"Bildungsroman." Answers.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar 2010. <http://www.answers.com/topic/bildungsroman>.
"First Day of School." Oriental Trading. Web. 13 Mar 2010. <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://image.orientaltrading.com/otcimg/48_2487.jpg&imgrefurl=http://reviews.orientaltrading.com/0713/48_2487/reviews.htm&usg=__-zegIwsoXVDNIGdAVuRTxIuk1ig=&h=348&w=350&sz=183&hl=en&start=6&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=y_sWYfddJMAPBM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=120&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfirst%2Bday%2Bof%2Bschool%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2SKPB_enUS330%26tbs%3Disch:1>.
Gora, Susannah. You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack,
John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation . 1st. New York, NY:
Crown Publishers, 2010. Print.
Hader , Suzanne . “The Bildungsroman Genre: Great Expectations, Aurora Leigh, and Waterland.” The Victorian Web. N.p., 2/21/2005. Web. 10 Mar 2010. <http://www.victorianweb.org/genre/hader1.html>.
"Happy Days." The Aisle Seat. Web. 11 Mar 2010. <http://www.andyfilm.com/4-3-07.html >.
"Huckleberry Finn." GALLERY. Web. 12 Mar 2010. <http://pirun.ku.ac.th/~b5011418/pics/Huckleberry-Finn%5B1%5D.jpg>.
"Jane Eyre." Alita.Reads. Web. 11 Mar 2010. <http://alitareads.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/jane-eyre1.jpg>.
Janus, Alexander. "Disability and the Transition to Adulthood." Social
Forces 88.1 (2009): 31-60, 99-120. Web. 14 Mar 2010.
Lipsky, David and Alexander Abrams. Late Bloomers, Coming of Age in
Today's America: The Right Place at the Wrong Time New York: Times
Books, 1994.
"Navigating an Identity." We Are the Real Deal. Web. 13 Mar 2010. <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://watrd.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/identity-crisis.jpg&imgrefurl=http://watrd.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/a-identity-crisis/&usg=__kPA3Rf_XSJ_TpLcxXHi-5YUTiwE=&h=377&w=300&sz=11&hl=en&start=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=pnPzsCGvmlHvPM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=97&prev=/images%3Fq%3Didentity%2Bcrisis%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1R2SKPB_enUS330%26tbs%3Disch:1>.
Roddick, Nick. "Genre rules okay." Sight & Sound Nov 2008: 14-15. Web.
9 Mar 2010. <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1581575761&sid=2&Fmt=2&clientId=30287&RQT=309&VName=PQD >.
"Sixteen Candles." A.V. Club. Web. 14 Mar 2010. <http://www.avclub.com/denver/events/john-hughes-experience-sixteen-candles,124040/ >.
Smith, Joesph. Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 68. Kirtland, OH: 1984. Print.
"The Bildungsroman in Nineteenth-Century Literature - Introduction." Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Russel Whitaker. Vol. 152. Gale Cengage, 2005. eNotes.com. 2006. 14 Mar, 2010 http://www.enotes.com/nineteenth-century-criticism/bildungsroman-nineteenth-century-literature
"The Catcher in the Rye." Web. 12 Mar 2010. <http://www.nassaulibrary.org/YABookLog/booklists/>.
"Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship." 2020ok. Web. 12 Mar 2010. <http://2020ok.com/img/1/18531.jpg>.
Wilson, Craig. "John Hughes and the Brat Pack, revisited; New book assesses cultural influence of '80s teen films." USA Today (2010): D.3. Web. 10 Mar 2010. <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=1957466811&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1268618757&clientId=30287>.
"Voltaire Candide." Web. 12 March 2010. <http://sun.menloschool.org/~sportman/westernstudies/first/19/candide.gif>.
Sam Eichenblatt's Personal Response
ReplyDeleteFor my portion of the project I researched how societies, and religions and cultures recognize and celebrate the coming of age of children. During my research I was able to compare and contrast how today’s celebrations differ from say ones from 50 years ago. Before the age of “My Super Sweet 16” and the self esteem movement in schools, children were meant to be seen and not heard; this view is almost opposite to how children are treated today. Back in the 50’s, celebrations such as the Bar Mitzvah and the Quienceañera were focused on the child paying respect to those who have helped him or her achieve these accomplishments in their life. While there are portions of the ceremonies still dedicated to friends and family, the main focus is on the accomplishment of the child.
Along with this change in cultural celebrations, we have also seen a change in the way that the media portrays these events. Shows like “My Super Sweet 16” show extravagant parties for, most of the time, ungrateful rich kids. These inaccurate descriptions of important events in a child’s life may be responsible for the shift in attention in real life ceremonies. All of the ceremonies that I have attended have resembled their counter parts in pop culture, and thus lost some of the values that they were originally intended for.
But as these ceremonies become more and more irrelevant to their original intent, other activities are taking their place such as school sports, academics, and involvement in our community. These newer activities teach children time management, leadership, and responsibility. These activities might improve how our children are raised, and they might not. But by the time we can tell, the generation that played little league and volunteered at the homeless shelter will be raising their own kids.
Elaine Zhu's personal response...
ReplyDeleteComing-of-age, the physical and psychological transition one experiences from childhood to adulthood, is a type of narrative found in many different forms of media. From bildungsromans to films, coming-of-age narratives have become a popular genre due to the nostalgia and the sentiment it evokes amongst viewers. Common elements of these narratives include death of a loved one, usage of drugs, falling in love, losing one’s virginity, inner conflict, and adventure. Furthermore, this type of narrative promotes unpopularity and portrays weaknesses as strengths; as a result, many people identify with the coming-of-age themes of self-discovery and acceptance by society. While these narratives have gained immense popularity, they have also raised concern within society.
From my research, I’ve realized that one of the biggest issues with coming-of-age narratives is that the media markets it by exaggerating certain defining moments in an adolescent’s life, creating false expectations. For example, on the television show, “My Super Sweet Sixteen,” the coming-of-age rite of passage of a sixteenth birthday is over-exaggerated. This results in adolescents feeling social pressures to conform to a specific coming-of-age ritual when in fact, a coming-of-age is a personal experience that varies per individual. Furthermore, it misleads people in defining their coming-of-age as a specific experience versus a prolonged process of growth.
In literature, I’ve discovered that bildungsromans are currently struggling with so much deviation within the genre that the definition of this genre is rapidly disintegrating. While its themes and techniques are still popular amongst readers, criticism regarding the defining characteristics of a bildungsroman persists. Many critics argue that many narratives that are described as bildungsromans do not truly meet the criteria for the genre. For example, many critics would not argue that “The Passing” was a bildungsroman; however, from my research, I believe it may be interpreted as one. The journey that protagonists Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield experience while passing as the other person’s race is a journey of self-discovery. At the end of the novel, both of these characters experience an awakening. Furthermore, these characters experience conflict within themselves and with society’s norms. This shows that the definition of a bildungsroman has become so broad that it has grown to encompass almost any narrative. Thus, I would argue that almost any type of literature could be interpreted as having a coming-of-age theme.
While I do enjoy coming-of-age narratives, I believe that today it has impacted our society in a negative way more than a positive way. While it is a popular genre that everyone can relate to, media has marketed this genre with negative experiences. The idolization of an elaborate birthday celebration or the emphases of drug use as coming-of-age experiences are only a few topics that I believe are overly stressed. Furthermore, I believe that society’s glamorization of childhood and the celebrations with each coming-of-age experience only contribute to the materialistic society we live in today.
Caitlin Ryan
ReplyDeleteComing-of-age is a transition that everyone is familiar with, but has different meanings for every person. Broadly defined, coming-of-age is the point in someone’s life where they become an adult. They assume all the responsibilities of adulthood, including holding a job, living independently, and providing for oneself. Also assumed are the responsibilities placed one people by their cultures, whether it be within a religious community or the surrounding society. In reference to literature and other media, characters that come of age have gone through a transition in their life that has come from learning a lesson or feeling the burden of new pressures and responsibility.
In my research about coming-of-age in film and television, I enjoyed learning how the shows and movies that I grew up watching changed media for a generation. I have always been a huge fan of John Hughes’ films, with “Sixteen Candles” being my favorite. In the introduction of Susannah Gora’s book You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation, this film genre was described as “a snapshot of humans who happen to be in high school—who are scared and alive, and who desire, and who are as uninterested in conforming as anyone in a J.D. Salinger book”. Coming-of-age films truly do capture the essence of who teenagers are: anxious, scared about the future, not ready to leave the comfort of childhood behind, but desiring to break out on their own. It is not only the movies about coming-of-age that have impacted us, but the television series. One of my favorite shows as a kid was “Boy Meets World”, and watching this show for seven years, the most formative of my childhood, felt like I was growing up along with these characters. They seemed relatable and had the same issues as myself.
Looking at the research on coming-of-age and comparing it to what I already knew, the books that I read in high school seemed much more clear to me. Though I never really enjoyed Great Expectations or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, after learning more about character development and transformations, I am able to understand why the authors wrote their stories this way, and why the book seemed to cover such a long period of time. Coming-of-age literature reads like a timeline of events in an adolescent’s life, describing all of the trials one goes through and how they make one stronger and more mature in the end. It would be difficult for a character to fully enter adulthood or learn many valuable life lessons unless the stories were described with so much detail that the reader is able to imagine him or herself in the same situation.
Looking back at my own childhood and the events that brought me to where I am in my life today, I still do not consider myself an adult. Although I legally became an adult two years ago, and according my religious faith I have been an adult since the age of sixteen, I do not believe that I am able to take on all of the responsibilities of adulthood. At twenty years old, I am still dependent on my parents for almost everything. I have learned how the transition to adulthood comes slowly for many people, and often it is not an overnight change, unless, of course, you are put in the situation of Juno MacGuff and have to make the decision about whether or not to give up your baby for adoption. Coming-of-age for most adolescents takes place over many years; not everything will change suddenly, as many people hope that it will. I believe it is the progress that is made along the way, with each graduation into the next stage of life, whether that be an actual high school or college graduation or overcoming a fear that leads a person to conquer new goals and become a better person.