Coming of Ages

As I read Black Swan Green , I keep getting reminded of scenes in Harry Potter (my bible). However, I have now come to the realization that  Black Swan Green  and  Harry Potter are both a series of coming-of-age tropes that show up in countless novels throughout the history of literature. It just so happens that my introduction to the concept of coming-of-age was through the Harry Potter series, so that's what my brain jumps to when I read Black Swan Green. That being said, here are some connections I've made between the two novels, which are examples of much broader coming-of-age literary motifs. Madame Crommelynck reminds me so much of Dumbledore. An older mentor who has a somewhat inexplicable investment in a significantly younger boy who is struggling to navigate an unforgiving world? Seems like a decent comparison. There's also a mysterious air around Madame Crommelynck and Dumbledore. Both of them keep their cards close to their chests, only revealing details abou...

I'm struggling with Sylvie and Ruth's philosophy about what it means to have a meaningful relationship with someone.  I keep thinking about that part where Ruth describes watching a woman in a train travel by and questioning how that interaction was different than knowing a person. The conclusion Ruth seemed to come to (much through Sylvie's influence I presume) was that she didn't know that woman any less or more than anyone else in her life. This reminded me of the way Sylvie talks about people she meets once in a boxcar and never sees again. Sylvie doesn't say "I met a person," she says "I knew a person," implying that "meeting" and "knowing" are indistinguishable in her world. Sylvie does not maintain long-term relationships with anyone except Ruth, who also adopts this transient lifestyle. Both Sylvie and Ruth revel in a solitude I imagine most readers struggle to comprehend, as it seems too rebellious, too isolated fr...