Initiation Stories

The “Initiation Story” focuses on the turning point of a character’s life which, most of the time, takes place time in his/ her teen years. These narratives have common characteristic related to the idea of growing up. However, the two coming-of-age stories that appear in The Norton Introduction to Literature, Stepdaughters and Boys and Girls, convey completely opposing ideas. Thus, from the contrasting narratives, the readers can see how there are different ways to pursue one’s life, and how there are no one correct way to live.

            In Stepdaughters, the author portrays a fifteen year old girl, Stephanie, who lives under unstable environment and is involved in shot-put. Stephanie is a strong-minded girl who desires to live the way she wants to live. Although her mother, Helen, opposes to the idea of a girl playing shot-put, for the sport is rather manly and is un-ladylike. Despite the disagreements, Stephanie does not change her mind, and in the end, she chooses to continue loving shot-put. This shows how a teenage girl can choose her own life, even though it goes against the typical stereotype of a fifteen year old girl.

            On the other hand, Boys and Girls illustrates how a girl of similar age chooses not to break the archetype of an ordinary girl, and how it necessary is not a bad thing. Unlike the first story, the girl grows up in a normal environment; she has a father, a mother, a brother, and the assistance whose name is Henry. Even though she grows up helping her father with his work and is inspired by it, she figures out that the job is something she cannot fully accept. The horse, Flora, represented the freedom of the girl in the end, and it shows how she cannot escape from reality of being a girl.

            Overall, the two stories convey similar themes of growing up, however, one portrays how a girl can beat the common life of a female, whereas the other depicts how sticking to archetype is what happens ultimately. Both narratives were very detailed and understandable, and being a girl reader, I could relate a lot with what each character were saying.