Personal
identity is an issue that kids and adults alike, struggle with. While in today's
society the realm of identity is expanding on many different levels (whether
racially, sexually, religiously, etc.) there are still holes that leave people
questioning who they are and where they fall in the world.
Benji is no different as he is conflicted between his racial identity and his place in the world. He is in a different generation, arguably making his experiences harder, as there weren’t as many considerations and challenges on traditionally accepted identity. However, there is no doubt that a source of many of Benji’s trials and triumphs surrounded the fact that he is struggling between his black appearance and upper-class lifestyle in NYC. I think that his experiences in finding himself is really what helps progress his own coming of age story. Figuring out who you are is still a huge part of becoming the person that you are throughout your adulthood. Benji used pop culture and the feelings of others that were relevant in his time so that he could navigate the world of being a teenager without much guidance. This is a strategy that most kids use even today, as a kid, I feel like that is especially how I navigated through my own journey in finding myself.
Benji is no different as he is conflicted between his racial identity and his place in the world. He is in a different generation, arguably making his experiences harder, as there weren’t as many considerations and challenges on traditionally accepted identity. However, there is no doubt that a source of many of Benji’s trials and triumphs surrounded the fact that he is struggling between his black appearance and upper-class lifestyle in NYC. I think that his experiences in finding himself is really what helps progress his own coming of age story. Figuring out who you are is still a huge part of becoming the person that you are throughout your adulthood. Benji used pop culture and the feelings of others that were relevant in his time so that he could navigate the world of being a teenager without much guidance. This is a strategy that most kids use even today, as a kid, I feel like that is especially how I navigated through my own journey in finding myself.
Throughout
this course, there have been many different stories. Each book proves the fact
that every person goes through life in their own sort of way. Additionally,
there is no set in stone time when you come of age, as there is also no
definition for exactly what life event you go through in order to be initiated
into adulthood. For me this has been telling reoccurrence, for many kids
growing up, becoming an adult and the time that you reach that status is a source of a lot of anxiety.
While some of the characters have approached their journeys in ways that I
would not do myself, it has been really cool (as an outside viewer) to see the
ways that people approach their experiences and how those experiences have shaped
them. My eyes have definitely been opened.
