Coming Of Age

Words: 863
Pages: 4

“I couldn’t be mad at him for even a moment, and only now that I loved a grenade did I understand the fragmentation”(Green, 214). Coming of age is the process of growing, maturing, and learning about oneself. In both The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson, the main characters Hazel Grace Lancaster and Norma Lewis experience growth in their lives. Throughout The Fault in Our Stars, Hazel experiences love, which begins her coming-of-age experience. Similarly, in the short story “Button, Button” Norma experiences an internal conflict that develops her identity. Both of these characters experience coming of age, but in different ways. Experiencing love can change how someone views the world and how they think …show more content…
At the beginning of the book Hazel states, “I’m like. Like. I like the sand. I’m like a grenade, Mom. I’m a grenade and at some point, I’m going to blow up and I would like to minimize the casualties, Okay. I just want to stay away from people and read books and think and be with you guys because there is nothing I can do about hurting you; you’re too invested, so just please let me do that, okay?” (Green, 99). This quote shows how Hazel is immature and naive about the world. At this point in the story, she has not experienced her love for Augustus which prevents her from realizing that she is not responsible for the damage that she may cause. This quote also demonstrates that she is not aware of how love can affect one's actions. After Hazel experiences love, her view of how people act for their loved ones is how her character develops. In the book she states,” I knew why he hadn’t said anything, of course: the same reason I hadn’t wanted him to see me in the ICU. I couldn’t be mad at him for even a moment, and only now that I loved a grenade did I understand the fragmentation: I couldn’t unlove Augustus