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The theme of travel and the road to adulthood is fascinating and enlightening for the reader. However, stories that do not correspond to it are often referred to this topic. For a story to fit this topic, it must satisfy specific criteria, including a particular path that the character goes through. The protagonist begins the story with a sense of innocence, goes through specific difficulties that make him or her more adult. The stories on this topic often include Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Oates and Pauls Case by Willa Cather. However, a detailed examination reveals that they do not belong to this theme.
The protagonists of both stories, Connie and Paul, fit the first criterion being somewhat innocent. Connie is a 15-year-old teenager who is unhappy with her mother and the lifestyle she imposes on her ( Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? ). Paul, on the other hand, is a schoolboy who stands out for his distinctive behavior (Cather 74). Although Pauls act can be called innocent with a stretch, his character can be attributed to the immaturity of the young.
Both protagonists face various difficulties throughout the story, for example, Connie is continuously confronted with negativity at home. Paul is a victim of abusive relationships on the part of his father. However, protagonists, despite going through difficulties, do not draw any conclusions from them and do not grow up as a result of the challenges they have experienced. Both of them make the wrong decisions in their lives, but by the end of the story, no personal growth takes place. Connie, having met a mysterious stranger on the street, becomes his victim and leaves with him ( Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? ).
We do not know anything about the future of the heroine. However, we can safely assume that fate did not prepare anything good for her. After committing a theft, Paul did not admit his mistake, which would mean personal growth, but committed suicide, not wanting to return to his previous lifestyle (Cather 83). Because the protagonists do not learn anything and do not grow as individuals in the course of the story, it is impossible to add these stories to this topic.
Works Cited
Cather, Willa. Pauls Case. A Study in Temperament. McClures Magazine, 1905, pp. 74-83.
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? By Joyce Carol Oates. Celestial Timepiece. 2015. Web.
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