Coming of Age

Coming of age is an important theme in the novel The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley. Coming of age involves the personal, spiritual, moral, or emotional growth and maturation of an individual often based on real world experiences. These experiences may lead the individual astray before bringing the individual to a better place, as is the case with Maggie in the novel.

When the novel begins, Maggie is a sweet, naïve, sixteen year-old girl who longs to be loved and to fit in. She is an idealist, believing the best in people, including her uncle, Kevin, whom she willfully ignores is a drug-addict while focusing only on what she perceives to be his good qualities. Maggie is without a real parental role-model in her life, for her stepfather, Colm, is new to fatherhood and unsure of how to handle kids, and...