Literature is replete with many cases and works that touch on the theme of how childhood memories affect one's life during adulthood. Adulthood, childhood, and the connection between the two are evident in Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane. This book explores the creativity and mindset of children told by an adult narrator in the memory of his past. The narrator recounts the difficulties he faced in his childhood by sparking memories tucked away in his brain. While narrating the story, he describes many incidences that compare adults' and children's worldview. The incidences the protagonist narrates prove that the world of children is characterized by fear, grief, disbelief, insecurities, fantasy, and innocence, while world of adults is characterized by knowledge, consciousness, and their dissimulation of always doing what is right. In his book, Gaiman compares and contrasts the childhood and …show more content…
He insinuates that despite the physical and conscious difference between adults and children, the inner soul is always the same. Through a conversation with Lettie, the narrator gets to the conclusion that adults are “all really children wrapped in adult bodies” (155). He assumes, that on the inside, adults are like children. They are still scared of many situations in life, and they not always know what they’re doing. He concludes that adults are not the perfect figures they pretend to be. All adult people perceive like they have developed a different perspective after maturity and they typically project security and confidence to approach life. However, the narrator implies that on the inside, adults can be as insecure as children. According to the narrator, the only thing that changes the way of thinking between children and adults is the level of consciousness and knowledge due to their years of
This excerpt from Maxine Clair’s “Cherry Bomb” is a prime representation of an adult character reminiscing in memories of youth and innocence. Through the description of her “box of private things” and the cherry bomb incident, she uses appropriate diction, figurative language, and imagery while reflecting on past summers where time wasn’t consumed by school, capturing the pure moments of childhood. To begin with, the persona’s younger self picks up the “lofty” saying ‘I am in this world, but not of it’ without a clear understanding of what the message truly entails. She chooses it based on the fact that it seems to sound important. This reflection of her past shows a sense of immaturity, and is supported by other various examples of forward diction that tie back into her young personality at the time.
Through Jethro’s experiences, the novel conveys that suffering and loss of innocence is needed to create maturity within an individual. As the youngest
William Zinsser the author of “How to Write a Memior” gives three key phrases for writing a memoir. “Be yourself,” “Speak freely,” and “Think small.” This is a way to organize your memoir however you want it to flow. Walter Dean Myers author of “Bad Boy” follows these three phrases that Zinsser suggests by writing from a child’s point of view, freely but honest memoir, and vivid memories. William suggests that the best way to write a memoir is from a child’s point of view. ”
Personal growth is achieved from the struggles each of us endure throughout life. In the collection of short stories, The Lost World by Michael Chabon, the character traits of the adolescent protagonist, Nathan Shapiro, are revealed through the actions he takes as he faces life’s difficulties. In The Lost World collection, interactions with his family, love interests and friends, all provide evidence of Nathan’s fearful, easily embarrassed, and nostalgic nature. Nathan’s personality, experiences and relationships together explain Nathan’s behavior as he confronts the challenges that occur when facing adulthood, and leaving his youth behind.
In the case of the elderly, sometimes working with young children can bring them seemingly back to their younger selves. In worlds where interaction between people is bleak and often nonexistent, teenagers offer a contrast that can make adults curious again. And in a world so filled with meaningless pain that almost all lose hope, children are there to make them rethink
“Everybody’s gotta learn. Nobody’s born knowin’” -Harper Lee. Age alters our perspective. Maturity changes our understanding.
Childhood innocence is a huge factor of growing up and a recurring theme throughout the novel. The familiar feeling of being a child, when days were spent carefree with minds running wild. However, with age, those memories seem to slowly fade
Neil Gaiman's novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a story about an individual who goes back to the house where he spent his boyhood and recalls the odd and horrific events that took place there when he was only seven years old. The actions take occurred throughout the time when he was residing there. In addition to being a narrative about childhood, family, and the supernatural, the novel delves into topics such as recall, imagination, and the transformative power that the oral tradition possesses. The narrator, along with the enigmatic and otherworldly Hempstock family, who reside on a farm at the end of the lane, and an evil monster that threatens them, take on the challenge of destroying it together. The narrative is presented from
This boy, paralleling the boy in “From Childhood,” is being smothered so much so that it is impacting his life negatively. Though some might argue that his attention induced embarrassment is typical of a growing child, context clues point to his mother’s overbearing nature as the direct culprit of his discomfort. The relationship between the parties of both “From Childhood” and “Mother and Son” are uncanny. But even so, the way in which the mother in “Mother and Son” acts overbearingly differs to that of the overbearing actions of the mother in “From Childhood,” thus giving this maternal relation its own place on the wide-ranged
It is wholly recurrent to blindly skim through a detailed piece of literature and be unconscious to the likeness it shares with other pieces of literature. I am surely guilty of this ignorant practice, however. As I was reading “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde and “On Turning Ten” by Billy Collins, I didn’t truly perceive the connection right away. The obvious was already divulged in my mind; they’re both in the points of views of children. They, however, both have a mutual theme; growing up brings uncertainty and disappointment.
This quote explains that death is very common in this society, especially among children. Children also may be seen as easy targets to those who are unstable. Throughout this novel, death and crime are very common. Unfortunately, negativity controls the majority of lives within this
Little kids dream of being just like their parents, playing house, and growing old with the person they love, but too soon the dreams of little kids die as they realize that the adult world is not just the love stories, the one parents tell kids, the ones about how they met and fell in love. The adult world coomes with things that daydreams never include. Responsibilities, work, worries, pressure, lies, isolation, manipulation, limitations, rules, competition, bosses, taxes, politics. Everything is getting worse and never
Children’s literature can function as a tool for understanding the complexities of the world around us. Yet, as author Maurice Sendak expresses in the quote above, children’s literature can also serve as a mental escape from any hardships we may be experiencing during a tumultuous developmental period; Sendak’s In The Night Kitchen is a prime example of this.
Neil Gaiman is a Hugo award winning British author of short stories, graphic novels, comic books, audio titles and films. Some of his notable works include ‘Stardust’, ‘Neverwhere’, ‘Good Omens’, ‘The Sandman’ series of graphic novels, etc. ‘The Ocean At The End of The Lane’ written by Neil Gaiman, is a book that is spoken through a child’s perspective, of the world around him. The book deals with the unstable emotions that the protagonist, a child goes through that eventually leads to a disconnect between his childhood and adulthood.
In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding the author portrays that children are not completely innocent. Golding’s representation of childhood and adolescence also shows us the attitudes children have towards participating in work. In Lord of the Flies Golding portrays that children are not completely innocent.