Coming Of Age In Grant Moss's Before The End Of Summer

What is the true meaning of growing up? by Ashley O’Toole

What is the true meaning of growing up? Grant Moss Jr. explored this idea through his short story, “Before the End of Summer,” which explores the popular theme of coming of age. It is based on a young boy, Bennie, who learns that his grandmother’s death is near. During the summer that this story is based on, Bennie experiences many circumstances that result in his own “coming of age”. Throughout the story, readers follow Bennie’s internal struggle with the knowledge of his grandmother’s looming death. I will more closely examine what obstacles Bennie has to overcome to officially “come of age.” Each feature or example of these obstacles will come directly from the text, “Before the

“‘How long will it be?’ he heard his grandmother say. ‘Before the end of summer.’ What did they mean? Perhaps he ought not to be listening.” This quote is from the moment that Bennie learns of his grandmother’s imminent death. As the quote says, Bennie knows he “ought not to be listening”, but he still does. This is one subtle example of Bennie’s immaturity in the very beginning of the story. He does not know when or when not to listen, when it is appropriate for him to hear what he is hearing. “He turned and ran noiselessly across the back yard, through the gate, and down the path to the spring. At last, he fell exhausted in the cool damp grass. And now he was crying, and he would not stop crying.” This quote is another example of Bennie’s immaturity. Moss Jr. really emphasizes Bennie’s response in the beginning to prove, not only how immature Bennie was, but how much maturity he gained by the end of the story. He explores the meaning of coming of age through Bennie’s actions, especially when he writes, “He turned and ran noiselessly…,” because he is showing that Bennie’s grandmother does not know that Bennie knows about the news Dr. Frazier gave to her. I believe that Bennie’s actions and the way they were described in the beginning of the story helped him to develop throughout the

During the powerful storm towards the end of the story, Bennie’s grandmother asks him not to wake her up or disturb her when the storm is done and she has fallen asleep. He realizes “He must not cry. Crying could not help him.” This quote shows how different Bennie’s instincts are towards the end of the story. In the beginning, when he learns the fateful news, his first instinct was to run and cry. Now, his first instinct is not to cry, but be there for his grandmother. Another example of Bennie’s increase in maturity is his response to one question. When his grandmother asks him, “You’re not afraid?” and Bennie responds by shaking his head, this simple action also shows how much more mature Bennie now is. Bennie’s final instincts and reactions proved how different he was in the end of the story compared to how his reaction in the beginning.

Moss Jr. proved with examples throughout the story that the true meaning of growing up can be different for each person. For Bennie, the knowledge and ultimate death of his grandmother almost forced him to grow up very quickly. This was shown to me in the three main circumstances. The first was his response to his grandmother’s impending death, another was overcoming the obstacle of tough decisions or topics, and, finally, how Bennie acted and responded during his grandmother’s final