Preview

The Theme of Growing Up in Nick Hornby's, About a Boy

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1319 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Theme of Growing Up in Nick Hornby's, About a Boy
Growing Up in About a Boy by Nick Hornby
About a boy is a novel which follows the lives of two people: Marcus and Will. Marcus is a strange kid who struggles with growing up, he is in need for acceptance outside of his own family, he is searching for his own identity, he is a victim of constant bullying and is suffering with his lack of parental care. Will is the complete opposite to Marcus. He is a 36 year old who is in his own extended childhood, he is searching for his identity not wanting to lose his youth, he ‘prides himself on his cool’ and simply can’t find a way to grow up. It is when these two opposing characters meet that they soon act as catalysts for each other. From their dependence on others they find independence for themselves within one another.
Like many kid’s Marcus deals with bullying. As most kids do in such situations, he views the world in a way that bullies rule his world in the same way that politicians dictate our future and the world we live in. The bullying of Marcus leads to his low self-esteem and because of this he shows depressive tendencies through his thoughts presented in the book.
If no one laughed again in the whole world for the rest of his life, he wouldn’t care.
Will tries to teach Marcus about being ‘cool’. It is in this that the author makes the comment that in order for Marcus to be cool he must lose his individualism and eccentricities and become what Fiona and Marcus refer to as ‘sheep’ or in other words, conforming with society, and in essence, becoming more like Will. As much as a reader may disagree that in order to prevent bullying one must conform, it is hard to say that it is completely invalid. Everyone, at some point in their lives deals with bullying. There is constant pressure to uphold a responsibility to act and dress in a specific manner which society deems fit. For instance, as a female teenager often those girls who do not look, act and dress in a certain feministic way are not considered as

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Audience: This Boy’s Life is the perfect book for readers who enjoy adventures and stories about coming of age.…

    • 201 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A conformist is a person who conforms to accepted behavior or established practices. They go against their own opinions and views to do to things traditionally, instead of pursuing their own beliefs and ideas. Teenagers are always striving to be in the “in” crowd and to be popular. Holden is atypical in a sense of not conforming to society's norms.“Although many teens rebel against society, others do not. Some teenagers feel immense pressure to be “good” in order to get into a top college, be a role model for younger siblings, or take on an adult role in family life. Others are natural rule-followers, conforming to the expectations of their family or community simply because it feels the most comfortable to them.” (Conformity In Teenagers Lisa…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At a glance, both protagonists (Jack, from This Boy's Life, and Anne, from Limbo) appear to have very little in common. Jack, the only child of a single mother, is desperately attempting to develop his identity while he lives an unstable life in which he is constantly uprooted and moved form city to city as his mother searches for a way to support him. This perpetual motion is sharply contrasted by Anne who grows up in a small Catholic town in the Wisconsin country. There, she is given an identity in the form of her faith in God. However, both characters seek a new, or at least better, understanding of their identity. This is manifested differently within each memoir in that Jack's search is general while Anne's is focused on her faith and her identity with Christ. Although each character deals with their search differently, they both conclude that there are issues that they are unable to control and simply have to accept. This acceptance is portrayed by the protagonists' inability to control the outcomes of their lives.…

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sonny's Blues

    • 326 Words
    • 2 Pages

    narrator and his mother about his father and the death of his father's brother. The…

    • 326 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many memories that may come to mind when the word adolescence is spoken. Some people recall times of enjoyable, innocent adventures, but for others the phrase “teenage years” holds horrific memories. For a section of the populace their “teen experiences” may be the most appalling time period, as they begin to undergo many changes. This concept of dark adolescence is present, not only in the real world, but in the literary world as well. For example, in the novel A Separate Peace where a friendship turned in the wrong direction and a deadly war, mark the moments of growing up. While some readers believe that Phineas (Finny) and Gene’s separate peace shows the innocence of youthful occurrences; a closer inquiry demonstrates that through mental illness and death , adolescence is a time of terror, thus showing a theme of the realization of reality.…

    • 1022 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Fighting, Ruben Wolfe

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak is not just a novel about teenage boys fighting, it’s also about two teenagers growing…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Silent to the Bone

    • 424 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The theme of the book is about a 13 year old boy named Branwell who can't talk because of what happened the night that Nikki, his new baby sister, got taken to the hospital. Because he can't talk, it makes him look guilty. His best friend, Connor, tries to prove his innocence by finding out what happened.…

    • 424 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Analysis of Brother Dear

    • 385 Words
    • 2 Pages

    “Brother Dear” features a young female narrator recounting her brother’s visit home from university and the family conflict that results.…

    • 385 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    48 Shades of Brown

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Life for a 16 old teenage boy was all about to be different. Dan, a typical teenager has all the interests a normal male would. While Dan’s parents are in Geneva, he stays with his aunt Jacq, a fashionable, and techno flavored, short haired, 23 year old uni student, in Brisbane. While staying there, he encounters a test of adult responsibilities, first love and battling through adolescence.…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    April Morning Symbolism

    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The “coming of age” means different things to different people. In the novel April Morning we observe 15 year old Adam Cooper’s rapid transformation from boyhood to manhood, while our great nation begins a metamorphosis of it’s own. The significant events that can sum up these changes include the death of Adam’s father, the brief comfort and advice from Solomon Chandler and the experiences during the battle against the redcoat soldiers that changed our nation forever.…

    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984’s Winston Smith, Catcher In the Rye’s Holden Caulfield, and Once Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’s Randle P. McMurphy all have different views on the world around them. The opinions that they have set them apart from the individuals in their society. Each of them handle their customs, beliefs, rules, and behaviors of their own particular societies differently. They are all different from the others in their community but each in their own unique way. Winston’s wife dislikes him while Phoebe, Holden’s sister admires him. Randle and Winston were both a threat to their surrounding society. Each of these three characters tested the society and rules.…

    • 947 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Harper Lee's book, To Kill a Mockingbird, about Jem, Scout, and Dill growing up in Maycomb County and their fascination and thoughts about Arthur (Boo) Radley is very exciting and interesting. The children's personalities change drastically throughout the story as well as their views of Boo. Growing up is the process of shifting from a child to a young adult. Watching their views grow and their minds expand made the book appealing and fascinating.…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As adolescents grow their view on the world and them self change over time as they mature. The novel ‘Looking for Alibrandi’ is the story of a main character Josie who is completing her final years oh high school at an exclusive private school. The novel is written in first person narrative voice, which allows the reader to see Josie’s self doubt, her attitude towards her future and the growth she makes through out the novel ‘This might be where I come from but do I really belong here’. Josie also becomes more aware of her attitude towards the way she acts when she says ‘I’m beginning to realize that I can be a little selfish.’ Marchetta’s direct speech shows the reader that Josie’s perceptions are not always reliable; this is evident when Sister Louise says ‘ You have to learn that sometimes you have to keep your mouth shut’ which is something characters other than Sister Louise echo to Josie. Josie’s emancipation and emotional growth goes through obstacles such as John Barton’s death, which initiates self-reflection and knowledge. This is represented when Josie says ‘ I want all the things in life that John Barton gave up because he was to scared to step outside of his circle.…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Theme Of Growing Up

    • 104 Words
    • 1 Page

    The theme of Growing Up is to enjoy your childhood and don't grow up too fast. I think this is the theme because on page 8 it said " She hugged her doll.Something was happening to her, and it might be that she was growing up.When The news ended , and a song started playing, she got up and washed her face without looking in the mirror." This shows that the theme is to enjoy your childhood because that worry that Maria felt is only felt by adults. As kids you don't realize how easy you have it and how hard life really…

    • 104 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odyssey Vs Swede

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Danny, a high school age boy meets a new swedish student named Per-Erik. When a Swedish company takes over a small town mill, Per-Erik and his family relocate from Sweden to Green Bay. Danny’s friends see Per-Erik as an embodiment of everything they hate. When the Swedish management lays off large numbers of union workers, Per Erik is the target of severe bullying. Danny’s angry friend Luke argues why they should hate the Swedish: “You don’t think so? What happens if they shut down the mill? This whole town folds. Or what happens if they fire all our guys and bring in a bunch of Swedish executives and Mexican workers? That’ll be cool, won’ t it?” (139) Danny denies that he accepts this reasoning but continues to go along with the bullying: “And I said it because I really didn’t have any choice. These were my friends. And Per-Erik Gustafs was a stranger. Or almost. ‘I’m with you. You know that.’” (149) Here Danny’s decision to accept his friends bullying, even as a bystander, reveals his guilt. Danny made this decision because of peer pressure to fit in at school, attempting to fit into a mold, much like Odysseus. Unlike Odysseus, Danny does not change, and makes decisions based on what he is “supposed to” do. He is just as responsible as his friends, which, in the end, is what he really wanted to be. He wanted to fit in, and now he does-which is evidently not a good thing.…

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays