Analysis Of Jim The Boy

Jim from the book Jim the Boy matures greatly throughout the book. Jim starts off strong in the book with a respect towards his mother and uncles that most children today would not present. Over time, his maturity level rises and he begins to become a man. He gains most of his knowledge of adulthood from witnessing the actions of his family members. There are factors that play into the start of coming of age. For Jim those factors increase due to the fact that he has to live during the great depression. A quote from Ardyth Ann Stull shares what mothers were encouraged to teach their children at a young age: “Another important component of their daily work was helping their children learn how to complete household tasks, so they would become competent to perform those tasks in adulthood” (17). Jim was also one of the many children that must mature more quickly due to the fact that he is living

On the farm Jim shows lack of maturity when he chooses the newest hoe and says, “I want to use this one” (13). His lack of obedience when his uncle tells him to give the hoe to Abraham shows a low level of maturity. Next, on the same day when Uncle Zeno asks about the broken stalk, Jim lacks maturity by lying to him and repeating the phrase, “I don’t know” (21). When he responds with I don’t know when asked about the stalk, it shows that Jim lacks the maturity to be honest and own up to his mistakes. Jim’s coming of age progress during this time period is much different than today’s, “The ages 10 to 14, or roughly the period that spans the middle school years, is a crucial juncture for setting youngsters on pathways that lead to productive integration within the adult role structure of society.” (Lapsley 13) At this point, Jim should have matured into an adult in order to perform the actions of an adult, when in today’s society, we are just now beginning to learn the roles of an