Coming of age

I thought that the way coming of age is depicted in Sag Harbor is really interesting. There isn't some momentous difference between Benji from the beginning of the book and Benji by the end. I think that this is best seen in the way that Benji ends the summer in the same way that he begins it, by planning ahead. At the beginning of the summer, Benji makes plans about how he's going to reinvent himself over the course of the summer. He is going to go from being lame Benji to being cool Ben. At the end, we can see something similar. He makes plans about how he's going to become cool by going to parties, clubs, and concerts. Despite the similarities between end Benji and beginning Benji, it still is clear that they are different people. But this begs a larger question. At what point do we become someone completely different from who we used to be? Benji points this out by looking back on his 14 year old self and thinking that he was an idiot. He describes himself at the end as being "a bit smarter" than he was at the beginning. 
I found tthis idea of looking back on your past and trying to determine the point where you think about your past self and say "I'm nothing like this person" really interesting. Personally, the point where I look back and wonder who this person was is like right before I came to Uni. Out of curiosity, I was wondering if those of you reading this have points like this as well. 

Comments

  1. Smita NairMay 18, 2019 at 4:17 PM

    I had a moment like this recently. I sent a formal email from my rarely-used gmail account and realized after the fact that it auto-attached the signature I had written in 7th grade. I wanted to burn my skin off.
    If you look back at the person you were and find them the same as who you are now, you're probably not doing something right. I don't think anyone should be able to reflect on their 12,13,14 year old selves and not cringe a little. God knows I do. I think (hope) it means good things- maybe it adds dimension to your character.

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  2. OthnielMay 18, 2019 at 8:06 PM

    I agree. My transformation I think came right before I came to Uni as well. At Franklin I was always quiet, really cared about my grades, and wasn't in that many sport. When I came to Uni, I began to open up a bit more, stopped caring about my grades, and am a 3-sport athlete. Being apart of the Uni community has really made a difference on me and I am glad that I am here. I don't know what I am going to be like next year or in college.

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  3. AnonymousMay 19, 2019 at 4:26 PM

    It's weird because in some ways I still think i just came to uni. however I also feel I have learned a lot and importantly met some amazing people

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  4. AkashMay 19, 2019 at 7:33 PM

    Seeing your growth from an outside perspective over the last eight years, it's kind of weird to think about the "old Nic," whatever that is. When you're with someone for that long, their changes are just ingrained into your perception of them. For me, the biggest difference I noticed in you was actually the summer between subbie and freshman year. You seemed more confident and open, yet still observant.

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  5. Matthew TangMay 20, 2019 at 8:00 AM

    I think your idea of the turning point where you can't recognize your past self is really interesting. For me that transition would also be coming to Uni. I think it may be true for many other people as well, as coming to Uni makes us interact with older people and deal with more responsibilities and freedoms, which matures us a lot.

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  6. Dylan BMay 20, 2019 at 6:50 PM

    I think Benjy really has become quite smarter. While he doesn't have a fully-formed identity yet, I think that his ambitions and understanding of the world have really developed. In the beginning of Sag Harbor, he was still in the process of splitting with Reggie, but a summer of separation really lets him develop.

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  7. Katie CMay 25, 2019 at 9:21 AM

    I think it's all about day to day changes that add up overtime. I don't feel any different from who I was yesterday or the day before or even from a few months ago, but obviously I'm still changing every day, even if I only recognize it when I look back and reflect.

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