Coming of Age

Bless the Beasts and Children is a classic coming of age story and the them permeates the story and the characters. The boys all come from different backgrounds, but in essence they have been sent to Box Canyon Boys' Camp for the same reason—to grow up. The whole purpose of the camp is to turn boys into men. However, it is not through the outdated and simplistic methods of the camp that the six boys who comprise the Bedwetters come to mature, but through their own shared experiences as a group of outcasts. Over the course of the summer, they have bonded and come to rely on each other. This in itself is a sign of enhanced maturity. To rely on others is a difficult lesson to learn. The quest marks their final test on the threshold of moving from being youths to being...