Coming of Age

The coming of age theme is common in young adult novels. However, though Emira is 25 years old, her story is still a coming of age story because her experiences help her achieve her definition of adulthood. After her encounter with the security guard in Market Depot, Emira criticizes herself because she believes she would not have been in that situation if she had what she considered a real job. Her idea of a real job is one with health insurance. Emira feels worse and worse about herself as she sees her friends achieving her idea of success as an adult. Alix’s offer of more hours seems like an ideal proposition for Emira. However, when Emira learns what Alix did, she is forced to be an adult and find a job on her own.

Even though Emira is 25 and has a college degree, she...