The problem of growing up has always worried not only psychologists, but also cultural figures: writers, artists, musicians, and so on. The period of transitional age is considered almost the most difficult in life.
Literature and arguments: the problem of growing up in popular works
Jerome Salinger, in his short story The Catcher in the Rye, which has become a classic, also raises this topic. He stipulates it rather unusual: the main character of the story, Holden Caulfield, is the most natural nihilist who denies all the good that society can offer him. Because of his age, Caulfield makes some really funny arguments. The problem of growing up the main character of the story is this very notorious teenage crisis. Holden is only 17 years old, so theater actors play “too well” for him, the school disgusts him, and the people around him who try to contact him run into a solid wall of misunderstanding and rejection. The story, however, ends with Caulfield finally feeling happy.
The gap between generations or the stupidity of the young?
The problem of growing up in literature is revealed from different perspectives, but the concept of nihilism in such works appears very often. The fragile consciousness of a teenager denies absolutely everything, because in this way he wants to increase his importance and express a peculiar protest. So, continuing the topic of nihilism, it is worth mentioning the famous novel of Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev “Fathers and Sons”. The main character of the work, because of which the main external conflict develops, is Evgeny Vasilyevich Bazarov. He does not see the point in love, despises all forms of art and believes that the norms of morality and religion are invented from nothing to do. Despite the external “coolness”, this character only evokes a sense of pity among a mature reader. A person who is trying to completely oppose himself to society cannot be respected, because such behavior is called infantile. Bazarov boasts of his nihilism, from which after a few years there will be no trace.
Code of Honor for the Deer: The Story of Bambi
The problem of early adulthood is raised in the notorious work of Felix Zalten called "Bambi, life in the forest." The little anthropomorphic deer depicted in the book goes through all stages of growing up. He understands that a harsh life requires him to become strong and unshakable, but his childhood does not let him go for a very long time. Little Bambi sees that his father is not too attentive to him, and therefore is struggling to become more independent. The tragic death of the mother is contributing, and the deer begins to become more courageous and serious, but at the same time suffers from the fact that it cannot accelerate this process - this is his problem of growing up. Arguments from literature, even from children’s, confirm that the period of transitional age leaves an indelible mark on our lives, and much depends on how well this period passes. In Bambi, Life in the Forest, the protagonist is strong enough. But does it always happen in life?
Childhood, adolescence and youth
Very powerful own arguments to the problem of growing up were also brought by the famous writer Alexei Tolstoy. Having written his autobiographical novel in three parts, “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth ”, he gave food for thought not only to the growing generation that considers this work at school, but also to adult readers. Tolstoy describes in great detail the formation of his not yet strong personality, so the reader “grows” with little Lesha, who turns into a stately man Alexei. The writer describes his life quite ingenuously, but very interesting. You can notice how the hero’s thinking changed, how his worldview became more and more mature, how his attitude to his own family was transformed. The older Lesha became, the more he noticed and understood, and none of this escaped, including the reader. Of course, Tolstoy probably invented or thought up some episodes, but this does not detract from the artistic value of the work.
Adult children of America and their tragedy
Although the problem of the early adulthood of children is most often addressed either in psychological or in military literature, this theme can also be found in some works on abstract topics. For example, Theodor Dreiser in his "American Tragedy" very talentedly described what the early independence of a child who is forced to plan his life separately from his family can lead to. Charles Dickens was also very fond of such subjects, whose fate just happened. The author was forced to work from an early age in order to feed his family and younger siblings. Dreiser, however, revealed the essence of the concept of a "disliked" child, who is burdened by vanity and commercialism and believes that the situation in society is more important than honor. The protagonist of "American Tragedy" is himself guilty of his misfortunes, because resourcefulness and greed never bring happiness to a person. Forced to think through his own business plan from a young age, Clyde Griffiths falls into the trap of growing up early, when the basic moral standards have not yet been comprehended, and you have already learned to earn money.
Character Psychology by Joan Rowling
Very often, women are affected by the notorious problem of growing up. Arguments from literature are taken into account even if the genre of this literature is fiction. The famous creator of the world about Harry Potter, Joan Kathleen Rowling, went along such a path. Over the course of seven books, her characters are growing, and the reader is watching with interest the changes in their psychology. At first, three friends - Ron, Harry and Hermione - are just friends, and from the fourth book, when they become older, they already begin to feel a sense of affection for each other. Rowling masterfully describes their relationship - perhaps the decisive factor in her amazing psychology technique was the fact that she was a woman. Some causes of conflicts between characters may slip away from a less mature reader, but a more experienced reader will immediately notice that youthful experiences are to blame. Despite the fact that “Harry Potter” is a book about magical worlds and magical adventures, these youthful experiences are very vital and realistic. As you know, you won’t erase words from a song.
Ray Bradbury's Angel Children
Sometimes it’s very interesting how surprising the author’s arguments can be. The problem of growing up is raised by them as if by chance, in passing, but literary critics nevertheless capture this topic in their works. Ray Bradbury in his book “Dandelion Wine” resorts to a rather unusual technique. He narrates exactly as a little boy would describe events. This adds to the book's famous charm, because adult readers have long forgotten what they dreamed and thought of in childhood. Bradbury masterfully emphasizes the difference between children's consciousness and adult consciousness, and this makes the book very bright and sweet. It also does not become less interesting from this - on the contrary, a book can be “choked” during reading. Only in childhood can we dream of tennis shoes or fresh flowers. Children's emotions and thoughts are always very sincere and bright, and this is what Bradbury shows in his work.
War and peace for fragile souls
The problem of growing up in war has also been raised very often in classical literature. Leo Tolstoy did not begin to devote a whole book to this problem, but wove it into many other topics and problems in his immortal work “War and Peace”. An example of a fragile, still childish consciousness that is becoming firmer and more mature is the image of Natasha Rostova, which the war is changing. Tolstoy emphasizes how painful and wrong it is when growing up is as if torn from a child by force, when he is forced to grow up. Of course, war is not the time when you can afford to get stuck in childhood for a long time, but how unfair it is to those who have not even managed to consider this childhood! The first love feelings, trembling knees, excitement and stupid jokes with friends - all this is deprived of teenage girls who have to live during the war. The character hardens or breaks, and love either grows stronger and becomes flint, or falls apart into parts that cannot be assembled.
Early adulthood that no one knew
It is noteworthy that Vladimir Nabokov gives quite childish arguments in the topic of growing up. The problem of growing up in his scandalous work “Lolita” is touched on a little indirectly, but still takes place. A young girl, or rather, a girl who, for her own benefit or out of idle interest, considers it normal to have a relationship with an adult man is a very interesting character who did not hesitate to describe Nabokov. His Lolita at first seems completely innocent, understands nothing, a child who is molested and does not realize this. However, during the course of the work, the reader learns that Lolita is not so simple, and she has matured for a very, very long time. It is amazing how such a young girl can confidently and hypocritically behave with a man who suits her fathers. Perhaps this is what attracted the main character to her - an adult woman in the body of a young girl. One thing remains clear: what happened to Lolita cannot be called anything but a tragedy.
