–adjective
1. complete in natural growth or development, as plant and animal forms: a mature rose bush
2. ripe, as fruit, or fully aged, as cheese or wine
3. fully developed in body or mind, as a person: a mature woman Dictionary.Com
External Link What is Maturity? Becoming independent
Finding yourself
What causes someone to Mature?
People do not just mature without reason, but most times, their maturity is due to a person or event that comes into their lives. These people and things bring people to the realization that they need to change, or become more mature. However, the process of maturity does not happen quickly, but rather it is a slow process of self-discovery. In many of the texts and films we have read and watched this year, many characters mature throughout the story, due to a person or event that changes their lives.
Some people who believed that they were mature, but came into their true selves are:
Ouisa
Huck Finn
The Isabel Fish - Maddy
Rutherford Calhoon
Nick- Great Gatsby
The Road- Boy
Ouisa from Six Degrees of Separation believed that she was a witty and self assure woman. She had money, a nice apartment in Manhattan, and a seemingly perfect family, with children at prestigious schools and a well-to-do husband. What she did not see, however, was how shallow her life and the people in it, truly was. When Paul came barreling into her life, he turned Ouisa’s world upside down. Paul helped Ouisa to see that she was not truly happy with her life. She finally realized that her family and friends were shallow. At the end of the movie, we finally see Paul’s influence on Ouisa cause her to walk out on Flan. This image of Ouisa freely walking down the city street represents her new, and more mature self.
The boy from The Road started out as being really dependent upon the father and also really frightened of the predicament they were in. Towards the beginning of the novel, the boy used the father almost as a “crutch” and relied upon the dad to get them food, shelter, water, and clothing. The boy was also really naïve in the beginning and this is emphasized by the passage where he left the nozzle of the gas canister open;and leaked out all of the precious gas that would have brought them lifesaving heat. A major turning point in the boy’s journey towards reaching maturity was when they met the old man on the road. The boy realized that they weren’t alone in the world, and his caring nature reached out and wanted to help the man by giving him supplies. Later on, the boy “matures” not just physically but mentally and this is evident especially at the last scene where he covers up his father’s body on the beach and shows that he appreciates all the fatherly support he received from him.
Nick Caraway from The Great Gatsby comes to the East Egg community feeling like he knew everything. Upon arriving there however, Nick realized that he had come to a completely new and unfamiliar world, in which he was truly an outsider. At first, Nick is very critical of all of the people who he meets during his stay in East Egg. As his stay in East Egg continues, however, he realizes that he had been very judgmental, and begins to try and understand the members of the East and West Egg communities. He begins to spend more time with Jay Gatsby, Jordan Baker and Daisy Buchannan. Upon forming relationships with these people, Nick learns more about himself and matures into a better person. We can see this most clearly at the end of the story when Gatsby dies. No one shows up to his funeral, or cares much about him, despite all of the friends he seemed to have. Yet Nick rose above this and was the only one there for Gatsby in the end, proving his maturity.
Rutherford Calhoun from Middle Passage undergoes a remarkable transformation in character throughout the length of the book. At first, he is drawn towards Captain Falcon when he is entrusted with the ring that allows him to fire the gun. For a short span of time, he is allied with the ship’s crew, seeking out dissenters and rabble-rousers among the Allmuseri on board the ship. There are moments during the time he is siding with the crew that he realizes he’s betraying his own people by helping the white crew to enslave them. Eventually these thoughts become more recurrent and more frequent until he questions his own actions and asks himself where his loyalties truly lie. His relationship with the orphaned African girl Baleka is what eventually pushes him to ally with the captive Allmuseri on board. His relationship with her makes him realize what a terrible and atrocious crime it was to capture the Allmuseri tribe and enslave them. Although Calhoun has already matured physically at the time of the “Middle Passage”, he truly comes of age when he starts to help the enslaved Allmuseri and realizes that he should help them and not only be loyal to his heritage but also for the sake of being a morally upright and virtuous person.
Huck Finn from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn grows up in the dregs of society; dirty, hungry and homeless with a father who is an alcoholic and a troublemaker. The Widow Douglas takes him in and tries to “sivilize” him however this only annoys Huck and makes him even more rebellious. This eventually leads to his skepticism of the upper-class and causes him to question much of what is around him. When Huck meets up with Jim on the island, he realizes that even though by law, he is supposed to turn him in, his rationale and moral compass make him realize that he should help him reunite with his family. Although he has already decided to do what is right, he still has many incorrect misconceptions about African-Americans and this is evident throughout their journey down the Mississippi River. Huck plays many cruel jokes on Jim but that is mostly due to his naivety and prejudiced ideas about African-Americans. The more time he spends with Jim, the more Huck realizes that he is a very compassionate and intelligent man, the opposite of what he had thought of Jim before. This journey with Jim causes Huck to mature and come of age with regards to race and respect of other people.
Maturity & Coming of Age
Mad, Dylan, Hansong
ma⋅ture-
–adjective1. complete in natural growth or development, as plant and animal forms: a mature rose bush
2. ripe, as fruit, or fully aged, as cheese or wine
3. fully developed in body or mind, as a person: a mature woman
Dictionary.Com
Becoming independent
Finding yourself
What causes someone to Mature?
People do not just mature without reason, but most times, their maturity is due to a person or event that comes into their lives. These people and things bring people to the realization that they need to change, or become more mature. However, the process of maturity does not happen quickly, but rather it is a slow process of self-discovery. In many of the texts and films we have read and watched this year, many characters mature throughout the story, due to a person or event that changes their lives.
Some people who believed that they were mature, but came into their true selves are:
Ouisa
Huck Finn
The Isabel Fish - Maddy
Rutherford Calhoon
Nick- Great Gatsby
The Road- Boy
Ouisa from Six Degrees of Separation believed that she was a witty and self assure woman. She had money, a nice apartment in Manhattan, and a seemingly perfect family, with children at prestigious schools and a well-to-do husband. What she did not see, however, was how shallow her life and the people in it, truly was. When Paul came barreling into her life, he turned Ouisa’s world upside down. Paul helped Ouisa to see that she was not truly happy with her life. She finally realized that her family and friends were shallow. At the end of the movie, we finally see Paul’s influence on Ouisa cause her to walk out on Flan. This image of Ouisa freely walking down the city street represents her new, and more mature self.
The boy from The Road started out as being really dependent upon the father and also really frightened of the predicament they were in. Towards the beginning of the novel, the boy used the father almost as a “crutch” and relied upon the dad to get them food, shelter, water, and clothing. The boy was also really naïve in the beginning and this is emphasized by the passage where he left the nozzle of the gas canister open;and leaked out all of the precious gas that would have brought them lifesaving heat. A major turning point in the boy’s journey towards reaching maturity was when they met the old man on the road. The boy realized that they weren’t alone in the world, and his caring nature reached out and wanted to help the man by giving him supplies. Later on, the boy “matures” not just physically but mentally and this is evident especially at the last scene where he covers up his father’s body on the beach and shows that he appreciates all the fatherly support he received from him.
Nick Caraway from The Great Gatsby comes to the East Egg community feeling like he knew everything. Upon arriving there however, Nick realized that he had come to a completely new and unfamiliar world, in which he was truly an outsider. At first, Nick is very critical of all of the people who he meets during his stay in East Egg. As his stay in East Egg continues, however, he realizes that he had been very judgmental, and begins to try and understand the members of the East and West Egg communities. He begins to spend more time with Jay Gatsby, Jordan Baker and Daisy Buchannan. Upon forming relationships with these people, Nick learns more about himself and matures into a better person. We can see this most clearly at the end of the story when Gatsby dies. No one shows up to his funeral, or cares much about him, despite all of the friends he seemed to have. Yet Nick rose above this and was the only one there for Gatsby in the end, proving his maturity.
Rutherford Calhoun from Middle Passage undergoes a remarkable transformation in character throughout the length of the book. At first, he is drawn towards Captain Falcon when he is entrusted with the ring that allows him to fire the gun. For a short span of time, he is allied with the ship’s crew, seeking out dissenters and rabble-rousers among the Allmuseri on board the ship. There are moments during the time he is siding with the crew that he realizes he’s betraying his own people by helping the white crew to enslave them. Eventually these thoughts become more recurrent and more frequent until he questions his own actions and asks himself where his loyalties truly lie. His relationship with the orphaned African girl Baleka is what eventually pushes him to ally with the captive Allmuseri on board. His relationship with her makes him realize what a terrible and atrocious crime it was to capture the Allmuseri tribe and enslave them. Although Calhoun has already matured physically at the time of the “Middle Passage”, he truly comes of age when he starts to help the enslaved Allmuseri and realizes that he should help them and not only be loyal to his heritage but also for the sake of being a morally upright and virtuous person.
Huck Finn from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn grows up in the dregs of society; dirty, hungry and homeless with a father who is an alcoholic and a troublemaker. The Widow Douglas takes him in and tries to “sivilize” him however this only annoys Huck and makes him even more rebellious. This eventually leads to his skepticism of the upper-class and causes him to question much of what is around him. When Huck meets up with Jim on the island, he realizes that even though by law, he is supposed to turn him in, his rationale and moral compass make him realize that he should help him reunite with his family. Although he has already decided to do what is right, he still has many incorrect misconceptions about African-Americans and this is evident throughout their journey down the Mississippi River. Huck plays many cruel jokes on Jim but that is mostly due to his naivety and prejudiced ideas about African-Americans. The more time he spends with Jim, the more Huck realizes that he is a very compassionate and intelligent man, the opposite of what he had thought of Jim before. This journey with Jim causes Huck to mature and come of age with regards to race and respect of other people.
External Sources:
Other Examples in American Literature: