A "coming of age" novel. What exactly does it imply? When we call a story a coming of age novel, it signifies a growth of some sort. The crossing over of a boy to man in maturity, physicality or mentally. For better or for worse, it can be a gain of knowledge or a loss of innocence. The term "coming of age" signifies a giant leap in single person's life.

1. "I was calm and picked up my backpack and I remembered thinking about the niner inside and I remember noticing with relief that I hadn't the slightest interest now in becoming a mass murderer." (208)
          This quote signifies Chappie's new found maturity and ability to control himself in a way he has never been able to before. It illustrates Chappie's manhood starting to appear. It takes a true man to take anger and to not let it out like Ken does and perhaps Chappie sees the immaturity in Ken and decides to take on his true inner man, which Ken has none of.
2. "Yeah, you should choose between me and Ken." (206)
          In this quote, Chappie shows his ability to stand up to those that he loves. He has massive amounts of love for his mother, but upon maturing more, he is realizing that advancing his life and doing what he believes may mean turning on those who love you despite the circumstances.
3. "But now I was into accepting I-self as I-Man would say and as a result I didn't give a flying fu*k what people thought when they looked at me." (200)
          Again, this quote shows the maturity Chappie has now gained. Chappie has gained a new found acceptance of himself and an extremely high self-esteem. Not like the typical fourteen year-old middle-schooler who always worries about their appearance and how others view them, Chappie accepts himself as an individual and embraces it no matter how others percieve him.

My first coming of age experience would be when I was left at home alone for two weeks when I was fourteen. My father had to leave and I didn't want to go with him to Carmel. While I was left at home, I had to hold the place down. I was responsible for my own food, my own laundry and doing my homework. I had to do it all. In turn, living alone and having my parents leave is no issue. I matured more in that two weeks than I have in my whole life. I am no longer a dependent of my parents. I can funtion as an independent person which whill make my college experience a lot easier.

My next coming of age experience was moving to Illinois with my mom. I lived on a military base for six months, and they may have been the best six months of my life. In that six months I learned priority and obedience. Living on the military establishment, I saw how a true world works. There is no space for wasting time and making errors. I transformed my daily life into an organized and efficient time. Also in that time, my mother and I become even closer than we were before. I felt like I was really turning into an adult. I held conversations and was open with everything with my mom, I managed my time wisely and I was also planning out my future. i was setting goals for the rest of my life. It really hit me back there that every action I make now will show for the rest of my life.

Andrew Dunavent

 Banks, Russell. Rule of the Bone: a Novel. New York: HarperPerennial, 1996. Print.