The term “coming of age” identifies with many concepts of growth: loss of innocence, solidification of an identity on which adulthood is based and conforming to society in one way or another. Various "rites of passage" are linked to these concepts, including a first sexual experience, a first truly serious event, a first job, etc. The transition to adulthood is traced in Carson McCullers' novel, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, through brothers Mick and George "Bubber" Kelly. Mick's journey from childhood to adulthood is traced as he goes through staggered events that will shape his identity as an adult. Bubber, on the other hand, is still a child until an accident with his BB gun causes him to become an adult in a matter of hours. Both characters speak to each person's desire for the freedom to create their own identity, a desire that is universal in the book and to the audience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe most obvious examples of Mick and Bubber's "spark" in adulthood are directly tied to their loss of innocence, each due to a direct encounter with the idea of ​​death. Mick experiences multiple rites of adulthood over the course of the book, but none are more traumatic than finding the body of John Singer, whom he had idolized as his dear companion. In the final chapter it is narrated: “It was she who found him... they only found out the next day. He went in to listen to the radio. The blood was all over his neck…” (351-2). This experience is Mick's first encounter with real loss, not only of his greatest friend but also of his childhood, which is ended by this head-on encounter with his own mortality. Bubber's life changes when he purposely shoots another child with his BB gun. While this could be dismissed as a simple childhood accident, Bubber is significantly different after this one event, with the narrator saying, "But after that night there wasn't much chance for her to tease him anymore, her or anyone else ". . After shooting Baby, the boy was never like little Bubber again. He always kept his mouth shut and didn't joke with anyone” (180). Bubber's innocence and childhood are completely erased due to his near-experience of being a murderer. Each sibling confronts death in life-altering ways, ending their period of innocence and pushing them toward their adult identity. The aforementioned moments in the narrative significantly harden the hearts of these characters, likely influencing them throughout their adulthood. For Mick, Singer's death comes at the same time she was forced to give up her dreams to help support her family, saying: “There were these two things she could never believe. That Mr. Singer was dead. And that she had grown up and had to work at Woolworth's” (351). Mick has no choice but to be deceived of her innocence, and the audience may only be able to assume that this disbelief in reality will make her a bitter and spiteful adult. Bubber's identity is solidified by the fact that he will always be seen as an "almost murderer". After the shooting, “…no one called him Bubber anymore. The neighborhood kids started calling him Baby-Killer Kelly. But he didn't talk much to anyone and nothing seemed to bother him” (180). This excerpt speaks to Bubber's shame over the incident and his public identity, as he is now seen by all as a psychopath. Just like Mick she will never be known for her musical talent or..