Coming of Age

Coming of age is a major and dominant theme in the novel "Silver: Return to Treasure Island" by Andrew Motion. Coming of age involves the spiritual, emotional, ethical, and character growth of an individual pertaining to real world experiences and encounters. The theme of coming of age affects primarily the characters of Jim and Natty in the novel, each one of them in similar and different ways. Both end up better people for the experiences they go through, and for the emotional toll they pay and overcome.

For Jim, coming of age impacts him primarily in his experiences with death. In England, Jim has a simple life. He has been relatively well-educated, and his most rebellious acts include not coming straight home. He is happy with the English marshes, but like many, dreams of something more. The expedition to Treasure Island gives him such experiences. The...