Coming of Age

Coming of age is a major theme in the novel Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts. Coming of age involves the spiritual, emotional, moral, mental, and overall character growth of an individual based on real-life experiences of various kinds. Coming of age in the novel specifically deals with Novalee, who makes the transition from a teenager to a young woman.

When the novel begins, Novalee is a seventeen year-old girl, pregnant, and totally dependent upon her boyfriend, Willy Jack, for survival. When Willy Jack ditches Novalee, she is totally on her own. Novalee is a very sweet, kind, and caring girl, but she lacks self-confidence. She demonstrates quickly that she is fairly self-reliant, managing to live secretly in Wal-Mart for months. She has a very nurturing nature, as evidenced by her desire to care for the buckeye tree she has been given as...