In the book rules of survival by S.E. Hinton it is about a
boy named ponyboy and how he has to run and hide because he is involved with a
murder and has to run away. Also how his
friend Johnny dies from saving people and another person in his gang kills himself. In the coming of age experience ponyboy went
from innocence to experience because he just talked about murder and killing
then he actually witnessed one. That
shows he went from the innocence of threats and stories to experience with
witnessing it first hand. He also didn’t
understand something he learned and he need help from others to guide him and
figure it out and that also helped him have more knowledge. Then when the enemy tells him both sides of
the gang wars he gains more knowledge of not just his struggles but the enemies
too.
Ponyboy’s
initiation into growing up was when the church was burning down and they had to
save the children from inside. This made
him think more over others and not just himself. This also made him more aware of things and
events around him because through out the fire rescue he was also thinking
about where is his friend, what to do, how to get the children out, and what
was going to fall and hurt him. Then the
end to his initiation was knowing about Johnny’s injuries and how he might not
make it. Then seeing Johnny in such a
bad way made him change and have more knowledge about life and death. That it doesn’t just kill a person it changes
everyone and without that person everyone that knew him loses someone to rely
on or talk to or even just to see him or her.
Ponyboy also got a privilege at the end of the church fire. Ponyboys privilege was life he still had his
he was still alive and well but Johnny had his taken away and he can’t get it
back.
In the book
the author is trying to say that your childhood is something that only happens
once. And through out your childhood
have fun and don’t change your self for anybody. Just live your childhood to the fullest
because everyday you learn something and that just helps guide you through
life. That your childhood is for all the
fun things you want to do and enjoy with friends and family. Its also saying don’t try and grow up just
act your age. If you grow up to fast you
don’t enjoy life in its fullest effect.
But over all just be yourself and do the things you enjoy and “stay
gold”.
In the book
the author is trying to say that adulthood is where everything new
happens. In adulthood you will see
things you never want to see again like death but they will never leave your
life because people die everyday.
Another thing is learning new things you didn’t know about like politics,
economy, and other things. It is also
where you will experience new things like death or a murder in front of you or
even saving someone from death. It is
also saying that adulthood is where everything gets serious that it is where it
all matters. Adult hood is how you want
to live and stay in the social class you are in currently. Adult hood is also where you have to act
grown up you can’t linger on being a kid all your life. Adulthood is when you step into a new world
and start fresh and get your self set up for the real world.
