Common theme

Throughout the term we have read and finished three novels--Catcher in the Rye, Jane Eyre, and our choice novel; in my case, Light Years. All three of these novels carried at least one common theme throughout the book. One that I saw was most evident was the common theme we talked about a lot in class, coming of age. Holden in The Catcher in the Rye struggled a lot with coming of age. He couldn't decide whether he wanted to grow up or not, and the times that he did want to, he acted in very mature ways. Such as, when he hired the prostitute; he only wanted her as a companion to talk to. Jane Eyre also struggled with coming of age. In the beginning she thought herself to be very mature and well together, but in reality she was quite the opposite. Jane Erye grew up once she was on her own, earning her own money, and especially when she nearly starved to death. Finally, Maya from the novel Light Years. She grew up immensely throughout the book. In the beginning she was very narrow-minded and thought little of the future. After experiences a major loss and having to go through grief, she made it through and grew up a lot. Maya realized that isolation is not the answer, and that she can't give up.