Coming of Age What does it mean?

Definition A coming-of-age novel is the story of a person's transition from one life-stage to the next. It's a tale of growth, wisdom, insight, and the ways in which the protagonist develops a mature and conscious understanding of self and circumstance.

The Protagonist… usually a child, is initiated into the hard realities of adulthood through knowledge, experience, or both, and often by a process of disillusionment. A “new awareness” emerges after: the dropping of faulty preconceptions the destruction of a false sense of security, or the loss of innocence

The 5 “Coming of Age” Shifts The Protagonist moves: from a state of naiveté to a state of knowledge. from a state of inexperience to a state of experience. from having a false view of the world to having a more realistic view of the world. from a state of idealism to a state of realism. from a state of immaturity to a state of making mature responses and decision.

But Why? Readers leave a good coming-of-age story with insight into how people master life changes. They may even be able to use the solutions offered in the story as part of their personal transition strategies.