Janie

Experience is one key element that brings about ones maturity and coming of age. This element is what I would highlight in this novel as we look at it as a bildungsroman. Janie at the beginning of the novel is very sheltered by her grandmother and then by Logan. When she makes the decision to leave with Jody and subsequently with Tea Cake she enters experiences she would have never had while sheltered under her grandmother. In part the process of maturity comes when one takes risks and steps out into the reality of the world, as Janie does. It is through trial and error that Janie begins to form her identity. The climax of this formation occurs during the storm when Janie realizes that she is not in control of life and death, this realization brings Janie to a peak in her discovery of self. I do see this novel as a bildungsroman, due to the depth of character we form within Janie as the novel progresses. The author lets us journey with Janie through tough life experiences that help her form her sense of self in the world.