1. Honors Handbook Page __
“Coming of Age” Motif
Honors Handbook
Page __

2. Coming of Age Story
A type of storyline where 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

3. 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.

4. Some Examples of Films with a Coming of Age motif in them:
The Little Mermaid
Coraline
The Sandlot
Harry Potter
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Mean Girls
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Any others?

5. Your Homework Tonight Create a graphic organizer of your own.
You must locate examples and passages that highlight each of the five “coming of age” shifts resulting from the boy’s experiences in “Two Soldiers”
Due tomorrow. Be prepared to share out.