Phrase To Come Of Age Analysis

What does the phrase “to come of age” mean? In the novel, The First Part Last by Angela Johnson the main character, sixteen year old Bobby Morris, finds out very suddenly what that phrase means. Due to his choices, Bobby has to overcome obstacles in his life that a normal teenager may not have to think about. Bobby is a teen parent who has to go through high school and take care of his baby girl, Feather, while the baby's mom is in an irreversible vegetative coma. As the novel progresses, Bobby matures and comes of age, meaning he has to take care of his infant child and he also loses his own childhood. Not only does Bobby have physical responsibilities, he also has mental responsibilities that come along with being a parent. Bobby has to take care of Feather because her mom can not. These are just a few of the reasons …show more content…
After Nia, Feather's mother, had Feather she became unresponsive in a irreversible vegetative coma. This meant that on top of everything that Bobby was already going through, he had to make the choice to take care of the baby by himself or put her up for adoption and go on with his life. Bobby decides to raise Feather on his own. For Bobby childhood was over, for good. When somebody has to take the place of two parents it is not an easy task. In the text……….. Bobby had to come of age to take on the task of parenting. This is another reason why Bobby has come of age. Bobby has transitioned from his childhood to becoming an adult. He takes care of his daughter while giving up his own childhood. Since Feather is just an infant she needs constant care, which means that Bobby no longer can do what he enjoys in life. And with Feather’s mom’s condition, Bobby is not only concerned about Nia, but is forced to be the only parent of his daughter. The experiences that Bobby is going through sheds a bright light on the struggles of becoming a teen parent and when someone is forced to become an adult too