coming of age

As I’m sure we are all aware, every child goes through a period in which they transition from childhood into adulthood. This process usually comes about with a significant experience that tends to shape them for the rest of their adult lives. Some may argue that certain races, ages, or genders are affected differently, but I would have to disagree. Whether you are male, or female, you encounter the transition that matures you into an adult way of thinking and acting. This is a circumstance in which innocence is often taken away. The short story read in class by Okri, and the television series “My so called life” are both perfect examples of this.

In the story "In the shadow of war" by Ben Okri, the coming of age theme is very present. The short story is one in which the son, Omovo, is introduced to the harshness of war, that his father tries to keep from him. Omovo often listens to the radio where the hourly news comes on to give updates on the war. His interest in the war, and his search for what is really going on, causes Omovo listens to the radio whether his father is present or not. His father discourages Omovo from listening to the radio stating that "it’s bad for children to listen to news on the war". As almost any child would, Omovo begins wondering why he is prohibited from the truth surrounding him. Once he travels into the forest after the "witch", he becomes introduced to the extreme causalities of the war. He see’s dead mangled bodies in the marsh of the river, and he learns the truth about the witch; she was simply aiding the wounded war victims. He also witnesses’ immense amounts of malnutrition, and the brutal treatment that the Nigerian soldiers put forth. After the fiasco in the forest, Omovo wakes up back in his house where his father explains that the soldiers brought him back from the forest after he blacked out. I believe that this is when Omovo realizes that his father may not be on the pedestal that he was once placed on, and that his childhood was seemingly robbed from him that day in the forest. Sometimes there are certain events, or scenarios that you cannot erase from your head. The harshness of that day is something that his father was trying to protect him from, but also something that cant be taken back. Situations like those have a way of introducing you to the real world very quickly.

In TV series “my so called life” there is an episode in which Angela (the daughter) becomes discontent with her father. After her father gave her tickets to see the Grateful Dead, a band that she is not fond of, he asks for them back. Angela had sold the tickets already and was furious that her dad was asking for them back. This is more a tale of adolescence, but can still be tied into a distinct time period in which transitions begin taking place. In my opinion, Angela felt as if her and her father were on different pages. Since we have all been (or still are) teenagers at one point, we understand that this is an awful feeling. All children want their parents to understand them. As we are growing up, we all tend to go through phases. These phases, in my perspective are necessary to the shaping of the adults that we become.  

Both of these stories also tie into another theme that was discussed in class, one in which fathers and their children are distanced in the time of adolescence. Omovo grew up very fast that day, regardless of the fact that his father had tried to protect him from that. Omovo probably felt like his father was keeping something from him, which caused a rift between them. Two other examples of this are in “My so called life” with both Angela straying away from her father, but also with Angela’s mother herself. Angela’s mother had to deal with her father skipping out on paying the IRS, in which she decides to take control of the situation. Even as middle-aged adults, circumstances happen which can in turn affect the relationship, even if only temporary.