The transition from childhood to adulthood is a period in which a young adult begins to discover their place in the world, their place, who he is. and observe the society around them. In these moments of self-discovery, many young adults adopt new mindsets, ideas, and desires that ultimately lead them to rebel against who they once were, their family, or even society. Although rebellious acts are not seen in a positive light, the experience itself helps a young adult grow from what they will experience and learn. In the coming-of-age experience, rebellion is an important factor during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Rebellion helps develop your own identity, independence and teaches life lessons that must be lived in order to grow. In John Updike's stories "A&P" and "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" ” by Joyce Carol Oates, the characters go through acts of rebellion that help them discover themselves and the world around them throughout their coming-of-age experience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay In “A&P” by John Updike, the main character Sammy is a nineteen-year-old boy who works at a grocery store called A&P. Throughout the story, Sammy observes customers and co-workers and imagines what their lives are like. He comes to the conclusion that they are all the same; they all live the same boring lives and this leads him to call them sheep. Sammy realizes that he is on the same path to living the same mundane life as everyone else in his small town and, like most teenagers, he is desperate to escape from what society considers a good life. He wants to develop his own identity but does not know how to realize this desire. However, when three girls who were wearing bikinis are confronted by his boss, Lengel, Sammy has the opportunity to escape and he does. Sammy says: “I said I quit. » Although this act of rebellion may seem small compared to acts of rebellion today, quitting one's job in the late 1950s was considered a big deal considering that many people held small jobs and worked their own work. right at the top of the corporate ladder. This act of rebellion was the first stepping stone for Sammy to build his own identity, preventing him from becoming another sheep in a pasture called society. Just like Sammy, a character in the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates named Connie also develops her identity through rebellion. Connie is a typical fifteen-year-old who has strained relationships with her family and is consumed by appearances. Because of this, she has a superficial view of the world and her family, which causes her to have altercations throughout the story. When her mother scolded her for her constant desire to look in a mirror to see herself, "Connie would raise her eyebrows at these familiar complaints and look through her mother...she knew she was pretty and that was that." » In this small act of rebellion against her mother, Connie develops her identity around her beauty. This can be seen throughout the text when she worries about her appearance, when she stays away from a family event to wash her hair and even at the end when Arnold Friend makes a comment about its appearance. She knew she was beautiful and to her, that was what mattered most. His identity in his appearance allows him to break away from his mother and sister. His mother isa domestic figure and her sister is a working woman, they both lead mundane lives and do not measure up to Connie's standards of beauty. Connie can't imagine living the life they have, so she focuses on her beauty which her mother hates. Her mother's reaction only validates Connie's desire to be different because she is not her child's ideal version of her mother. This validation and desire only pushes her to rebel again and further develop her identity in her appearance. Another reason why rebellion is an important process in the transition to adulthood is that it helps develop independence. Towards the end of the story, this is shown when Sammy leaves. Before this crucial moment, Sammy was very dependent on his family. He wanted to fulfill their desires and please them. He also depended on them for tasks he was capable of doing himself, such as asking his mother to iron his white work shirt. When Sammy quit, Lengel tried to sow guilt and doubt in his mind by suggesting he didn't know what he was doing, and then he mentioned Sammy's parents. " "Sammy, you don't want to do this to your mom and dad. ' he told me. It's true, I don't know. In this moment, you can see how Sammy struggled with the decision to stay to please his parents or leave to try his luck and build a better life for himself. He still decides to quit and rebels against his parents and essentially society's desires, allowing Sammy to develop independence and a sense of enthusiasm and hope for his life. When Sammy tells the story he states, "Now here's the sad part of the story, at least my family says it's sad, but I don't think it's that sad myself." Despite going against his parents' wishes and upsetting them, he still doesn't regret his choices and that speaks volumes about his growing independence. In the second story, the search for independence through rebellious acts manifests itself in Connie's daily life. At first, she slowly moves away from her family, their protection and control and begins to assert her free will. She does this by lying about several things and missing a family event. She initially lies about going to the movies or shopping and instead goes to the drive-in to hang out with older kids, boys, and her friends. As the story continues, she lies to her mother by pretending to not like one of her friends who worries her mother. It is evident that through this search for independence and her desire to leave her childhood behind, she develops two different ways. The text states: “Everything in her house had two sides, one for the house and one for everything that was not in her house.” At home, when Connie is with family, her freedom and independence are restricted by her family, whereas everywhere else she is able to be herself and assert her independence. In the coming-of-age experience, rebellion not only helps develop identity or independence, but it also provides life lessons. In "A&P", Sammy learned various valuable lessons from the beginning to the end of the short story. First, he learned to speak for himself and others. Before quitting his job or speaking out, Sammy seems to avoid conflict at all times and instead just let things happen without expressing himself to others. At the beginning of the story, this is seen with his first interaction with a customer who gave him a hard time. Rather than expressing himself, he simply internalizes the situation and keeps his thoughts to himself. Another example is when a.