In one's life, the act of growing up can be most difficult. The transition from childhood to adulthood is seen as people gain maturity and become less naïve towards the world. The protagonists in the novels The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton and Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson undergo this very important change. The journey from innocence to experience that Ruth and Ishmael Chambers undergo follows the stages of making mistakes, learning lessons from their mistakes, and applying these lessons to their everyday lives. Coming of age is an important theme explored throughout these novels. The protagonists experience this theme and as a result of it, become full members of society and stronger, wiser people.
On the road to growing up, many people will make mistakes. The decisions that people make everyday will have some sort of effect on their lives. Ruth and Ishmael Chambers both make mistakes as a result of their nativity towards the world, and their lack of experiences that they have had with people. Both of these protagonists' mistakes are a clear indication towards how young they are and how much they need to learn before becoming experienced in the world.
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