Common
Themes in
Coming of Age
Literature
Coming of age
• Synonym/Explanation
– Growing up
– The mental transformation
from childhood to
adulthood.
• Image/Example
– The O.C. is a coming of
age television show
that focuses on the
lives of teenagers
growing up in California.
Loss of Idealism
• Synonym/Explanation
– Destruction of a false
sense of security
– May start to expect the
worst from others
– Loss of faith in dreams
• Image/Example
– The girl thought her
father could protect
her from anything, but
his death shattered her
idealism.
before
after
Desire for Independence
• Synonym/Explanation
– (From parents),
want to make own
decisions, want to
be able to do things
on your own
• Image/Example
– For many teens, a
car = independence
Search for
Identity/Acceptance
• Synonym/Explanation
– Desire to belong to and
feel accepted by a
group, may feel lonely
or isolated
– Search for answers to
the question “Who am
I?”
• Image/Example
– Teenagers struggle to feel
accepted, but remain
unique.
Changing Attitudes and
Values
• Synonym/Explanation
– What is important to
character changes
• Image/Example
– Once he was accepted
at tech school, John
stopped playing soccer
and started
concentrating on his
trade.
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Testing the Waters
• Synonym/Explanation
– Trying out new things,
seeing what you can get
away with
• Image/Example
– Though her curfew was
12:00, Suzy kept
testing the waters by
coming home later and
later
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Dreaming of the future
• Synonym/Explanation
– Asking…What will my
life as an adult be like?
What do I want to do
when I “grow up”? how
will my life be different
from my parents’?
• Image/Example
Resilience (n)
•
•
Explanation
– able to become strong,
happy, or successful again
after a difficult situation
or event
– “bounce back”
Image/Example
– I am amazed by the
resilience of the hurricane
victims.
Word Family
Resilient (adj.)
Rite of Passage (n)
Explanation
A ritual marking culturally
significant changes in an
individual’s life cycle, such
as birth, puberty, marriage,
old age, and death
Image/Example
A rite of passage that
occurs at age 16 is
___________.
Word Family
ritual
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Epiphany (n)
• Explanation
moment of understanding or
clarity in which a person
comes to gain a new
understanding about him or
herself or the world around
him/her
Image/Example
I had an epiphany when I
realized…
Word Family
Initial (adj.)
Explanation
happening at the
beginning [= first]
Image/Example
My initial reaction to the
news was complete shock.
Word Family
Initial phase
Initial stage
Initial period
Initials
Initiation
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Self-Reliant (adj.)
•
•
Explanation
– Able to decide what to do
by yourself, without
depending on the help or
advice of other people
Image/Example
– Ellen Foster learned to be
self-reliant at an early age
Word Family
Self-Reliance (n)
Reliable (adj.)
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Initiative (n)
• Explanation
The ability to make
decisions and take action
without waiting for
someone to tell you what to
do
• Image/Example
I took initiative when I….
• Word Family
Initiation
Initial
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Conformity (n)
• Explanation
• behavior that obeys the
accepted rules of society
or a group, and is the same
as that of most other
people
Image/Example
Many teenagers try to
conform to their friends
by wearing the same
clothes, shoes, and
hairstyles.
Word Family
Conform
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Alienation (n)
• Explanation
• the feeling of not being
part of society or a group
Image/Example
In this picture, the figure’s
alienation is symbolized by
his placement in a dark
corner.
Word Family
Alien
Alienate (v)
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Reconcile (v)
Definition
if you reconcile two
ideas, situations, or
facts, you find a way in
which they can both
be true or acceptable
What your parents
Sentence
want for you
As I grew up, I began to
reconcile the fact that
people can be both
good and bad at the
same time.
What
you want