Coming of Age

Coming of age is a major and important theme in the novel “Tex” by S. E. Hinton. “Tex” is ultimately a story of growing up, learning, and maturing –the process of coming of age. In the novel, Tex experiences numerous changes and tries to deal with them in a typical teenage ways: he avoids them, ignores them, or simply refuses to deal with them. He ditches his responsibilities by attending county fairs, riding horses, and indulging in good times with ‘good’ company. He is also annoyed at his brother’s prospective scholarship that would take him away from home and mean he would no longer take him to the fairs. Rejecting adulthood, he exclaims “I ain’t going to outgrow [the fair/childhood]”. Ironically, at the fair itself, a fortuneteller tells Tex change is inevitable, adding it won’t have to change him though. However, change...