Theme of Growing Up in On Turning Ten and To Kill a Mockingbird

“Growing up is losing some illusions, in order to acquire others” (“Virginia”). This quote by Virginia Woolf, an English writer, captures how growing up is not a flawless process. Fantasies are lost, but that is necessary to gain new perspectives of the world. The transition from childhood to adulthood cannot be easily pinpointed, and the feeling of time being limitless with a whole world to discover is robbed by the undertaking of maturity. Similar to the real world, the speaker in “On Turning Ten” faces the dull reality of growing up, as his first two-digit birthday is around the corner, and his childhood imaginations begin to fade away. Likewise, in To Kill a Mockingbird, the characters experience the change from a playful, childlike environment to learning the truth about the world and maturing after an unjust trial takes place that alters their viewpoints on life. Both Billy Collins’ “On Turning Ten” and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird highlight the important message that growing and maturing involves the struggle of being led from playful and innocent childhood imaginations to the frustrating realities of adulthood. In order to convey this message, Collins uses metaphors and imagery, while Lee uses flashbacks and characterization.

While some people sprint into adulthood, others grasp onto their gleeful childhood, holding onto it as long as they can. Living through imaginations as a child creates an alternate reality of joy. Collins demonstrates this in “On Turning Ten,” as the speaker reflects on the imaginations created by his younger self:

At four I was an Arabian wizard.

I could make myself invisible

by drinking a glass of milk a certain way.

At seven I was a soldier, at nine a prince. (13-16)

To relive his memories, the speaker lists the varied characters he used to be when he was little: “an Arabian wizard, “a soldier,” and “a prince.” The usage of simple yet clear wording helps express the simplicity of living with only one digit as a part of his identity. By connecting words such as “Arabian wizard” and “invisible,” the speaker creates a fanciful world, a portal magically opened by “drinking a glass of milk a certain way.” His imaginations exhibit the creativity that played a large role in his childhood. With the speaker equating himself with the use of metaphors to the different characters, he looks back on a time filled with euphoria, emulating a sense of nostalgia, and bringing back the joyful moments of his childhood. The speaker clearly does not want to face the reality of growing up because these were times when he was not burdened with draining views of the world. This indicates the speaker’s longing for these joyful memories, wishing for an extension of his childhood before having to deal with a dismal life with the weight of a two-digit number weighing him down.

The idea of a playful childhood is similarly illustrated in Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird when Scout reflects on her younger years: “Summertime, and his [Atticus’s] children played in the front yard with their friend, enacting a strange little drama of their imagination” (Lee 320). By using a flashback of Scout reflecting on the years prior to the change in her perspective, Lee is able to describe how this memory mirrors her past before Tom Robinson’s trial severely affected her outlook of the world. Specifically, she mentions the innocence of the children’s actions of “enacting a strange little drama of their imagination.” This shows how Scout relives the moments when Jem, Dill, and herself innocently acted out little plays they created about their neighbor, Boo Radley. All three of the kids have created their own mental image of what they think Boo is like: all of which depicted Boo as a “malevolent phantom” (Lee 8). To add on, the mood shifts throughout the story. In the beginning, a playful mood revolves around the children, as they attempt to get Boo out of the house. In a like manner, this flashback shows the time of simplicity accompanied by a lighthearted mood. Furthermore, the word “imagination” embodies the exciting memories that are highlighted in Scout’s memories as a kid. In a similar fashion with “On Turning Ten,” this story uses the creativity crafted by the kids that mark the happiness in their childhood. Both works of literature show the kids pretending to be different characters/people based on their imaginations. Their fantasies clearly show the playful, nostalgic youthfulness they experienced.

Reluctant to say farewell to his past and flipping the page into responsibilities, the speaker in Collins’ “On Turning Ten” watches the excitement of his life slowly dwindle away:

and my bicycle never leaned against the garage

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all the dark blue speed drained out of it.

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It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends,

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But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,

I skin my knees. I bleed. (24-32)

Unaware of the sudden change that accompanies birthdays, the speaker describes the sparkle that once brought everything to life drifting away with the usage of imagery. He first shows this when explaining the change of a once-loved item, his bicycle. As he is nearing the age of ten, something he once held dear to his heart changed for the worst with its “dark blue speed drained out.” The liveliness that once characterized the bicycle has disappeared. Furthermore, now that he is continuing to grow up, he now has to “say good-bye to [his] imaginary friends.” He is forced to leave his created imaginations, which has painted his jubilant childhood. To add on, the joyful personality that defined him as a kid drains away as he is growing up. Now his undamaged soul spills into blood as he “fall[s] upon the sidewalks of life.” By using imagery to describe the bicycle losing its speed and the speaker bleeding, Collins not only shows the happiness being taken away but also describes the new experience of bleeding, representing the pain he is experiencing through the process of growing up.

Likewise, the drastic change from childhood to adulthood is also displayed in To Kill a Mockingbird. The unjust decision made by the court in Tom Robinson’s trial caused the children, specifically Jem, to be distraught by the situation, stealing their picture-perfect false reality. As Scout was informing Jem about the hypocrisy she encountered in school that day, she describes Jem’s surprising reaction: “Jem was suddenly furious. He leaped off the bed, grabbed me by the collar and shook me. ‘I never wanta hear about that courthouse again, ever, ever, you hear me? You hear me? Don’t you ever say one word to me about it again, you hear? Now go on!’” (Lee 251). Jem’s soul shattered when the decision made by the court was announced. He could not believe that people could act this way because this was not how he envisioned the world as. Thus, when Scout mentions what happened at school, it was a reminder for Jem of the racist reality that is showcased in his own town. The change in characterization demonstrates the anger and frustration of Jem. Lee first directly characterizes Jem’s anger by saying that he “was suddenly furious.” This implies that prior to Scout speaking, Jem was content. However, Scout’s words reminded him about the trial. Lee then indirectly characterizes Jem by describing his actions of “[leaping] off the bed” as well as “[grabbing] her [Scout] by the collar and [shaking] her” to show how powerful the trial inflicted upon him. The rage boiling inside of him causes him to shout. Jem uses repetition of “you hear me?” to Scout to ensure that she gets the message of how the decision made by the trial destroyed his positive perspective of the world. From innocent plays created as young children to the forced change in perspective about the world, Jem experiences the rough voyage of growing up.

As demonstrated in Collins’ “On Turning Ten” and Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, growing up and maturing is not an easy journey. Through metaphors and imagery in Collins’ piece, as well as flashbacks and characterization in Lee’s work, the message is delivered by describing a lighthearted childhood scene, followed by the transition to the dull reality of adulthood. Fanciful childhood imaginations may be stolen through the process of maturity, but the growth of self, as well as newly gained illusions, are acquired. This concept is evident in the real world, as growing up is not picture perfect. These literary works serve as a reminder to all that despite the fantasies fading away, happiness can still be found in reality.