Coming of Age

There are several characters who exemplify the characteristics of the coming of age theme. One of those is Melissa, who ages both physically and in maturity over the course of the story. The narrator sees Melissa age through her letters to him and says that he sees an emerging self-esteem in Melissa's life through her letters. Justine is another example of this theme. The narrator talks about aspects of the Justine's life as a young person, learned from the book about Justine. He notes that he knows Justine at a time of her life when she's older and more mature, and knows only what he reads about this younger, less organized Justine.

The most evident example of the coming of age theme is seen in the life of the narrator. He spends a great deal of time early in the story in search of something that...