Age of innocence novels

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is one of the most well-known coming of age novels. It depicts the growth and personal development of an orphan named Pip. This bildungsroman novel follows Pip from the pure age of seven until his mid-thirties. The story has one main point that takes time for Pip to realize, that no matter what happens to a person they always stay the same inside. Pip pulls further and further away from his roots, and who he was, trying to fit a mold he thought people desired.

Through his journey Pip learns that this type of change brings him no joy, if anything is presents the opposite. Dickens's novel portrays the fact that possessions and wealth cannot change who a person is inside, and that finding oneself can be a long, tiresome process. Pip abandons his humble roots and becomes harder to sympathize with as his snobbery and exhibition of ingratitude he display towards other characters. He loses his own set of values and priorities and instead tries to claim a new set, which is handed to him by society.

The theme of age of innocence can be seen throughout 'Holes' by Louis Sachar. The protagonist, Stanley Yelnats, is wrongly accused of stealing a pair of shoes donated by Basketball star Clyde 'Sweetfeat' Livingston to a charity auction. The shoes fell from above onto Stanley's head, but the judge refuses to believe this in court. Stanley doesn't blame the judge for his false conviction, arguably showing naivety and innocence, instead blaming the incident on the curse his 'no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather' left on the family. For Stanley his troubles are just a natural part of being a Yelnats.

Stanley takes his sentence of attendance at Camp Green Lake, and he believes it will be an easy sentence. Stanley has a positive view on the rest of the world, but Camp Green Lake is nothing like he thinks he is going. His blissful naivety and purity is broken. This bizarre, eerie place is nothing like Stanley has ever experienced. Camp Green Lake 's purpose is to 'build character' in the boys, they so this by making them dig holes, five feet wide and five feet deep, every day. It doesn't take long for Stanley's innocent mindset to deteriorate, and comes to the realization that more than just 'character building' is going on at Camp Greenlake. The warden is searching for something, and before long Stanley is creating his own search, one for the truth.

William Golding also creates a compelling coming of age story in 'Lord of the Flies'. The novel follows a group of ordinary school boys that become deserted on a coral island. At first it seems as though the boys will have great fun, but before long that world crumbles, and beneath it lays a much darker, primitive world of panic and death. At the beginning one of the main characters, Ralph, is an uncomplicated boy, having been shielded from the darkness the outside world can bring. He truly believes everyone is a forthright and authentic as himself. He is the natural leader of the group he is convinced that they will be rescued and while they are waiting they can have fun, on the 'good island'. As the novel progresses Ralph matures and comes to the realisation that everyone else is not as just and reliable as himself. Later Ralph's view that the island is good is undermined by all the talk of 'snake-things' and 'beasties'.

Ralph tries to build the shelters that he knows will be needed whilst the rest of the boys have fun hunting and swimming. Ralph tries to behave responsibly and set an example, as he thinks adults would. Jack hates Ralph, and behaves in the sort of underhand manner that Ralph never would. He understands the others behaviour of savages, but never joins in. He also accepts the fact that Jack must hunt him down and kill him, an adult-like understanding, of which he would never have been capable of at the start of the novel. At the end Ralph realises that Piggy, the unpopular and pitiful boy, was his only true friend, and he begins to morn his loss. He also cries for the loss of his own innocence and for the realisation that a darkness lies within the hearts of men.