Ruth... COA?

There is no doubt that the main character is Ruth, she is the narrator, the one taking you through her life, speaking with little emotion, and giving us history in deep detail. So many things in me says that no she has not matured. Ruth is always part of a pair, whether tied to the side of Lucille or Sylvie, someone is always there guiding her through decisions, life… Because of her relationships leaving he attached to the hip of other characters, I personally don’t think she is adequately matured to say that she has come of age. Additionally, her constant aversion to showing emotion and depth leads me to believe that she cannot be out in the real world or face the trials and challenges of tragedy in a healthy way.

However, perhaps she has come of age, life comes and goes as fast as water freezes and thaws. The perception of maturing is too fast to realize. Just as fast as the lake freezes, past tragedy is unreachable. Just as fast as the house burns down her family’s history is gone. Just as fast as Sylvie and Ruth cross the bridge, conventionality has ceased to define them. As soon as they do cross that bridge, they have stepped into their ideal life, they have left behind the past, and truly become new people. Despite the ways in which Sylvie is dependent on those around her and lacks personality and emotion, she challenges that with finding herself in transience. In finding her ideal life, she has fulfilled a lot of steps leading to maturity.

What I am saying is that this story is hard to categorize. Ruth’s world has been flipped upside down both my her own doing and the tragedies that follow her, but by leaving them behind she has shown a newfound maturity that would make this a COA novel despite the lapses in traditionally recognized maturity.