Coming of Age

Coming of Age is an important theme in literature. This means the transition period in which a child becomes a young adult. There is no set age for this transition because it is different for each character. Some characters reach young adulthood through the natural progression of age and maturity while some children face traumatic situations which essentially force them to grow up more quickly than their peers. In literature, Coming of Age usually features a protagonist who struggles with a belief system or other challenge in order to begin to identify as an adult. In "I Capture the Castle," the protagonist, Cassandra, grows up during the year that she shares her journal entries. As the novel begins, Cassandra is a young girl interested in playful pursuits but as the story extends she begins to take on the challenges faced by the family such...