By NewFusion
Bildungsroman texts explores the idea of growing up and character development. The value of these texts can be determined through the study and comparison of similar ‘coming of age’ texts. Certain aspects of Bildungsroman texts are growing up, friendship and death. This study will be focusing two particular coming of age texts to illustrate the importance of the Bildungsroman theme. A greater understanding can be obtained using the texts, Stand by Me, a film showing the journey of four friends to find a dead body and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, the story of teenager wading through the deep waters of adolescence. The importance of Bildungsroman texts is defined by the application of psychological, moral and personal growth of a character towards oneself.
Novels falling into the genre of bildungsroman often involve the theme of growing up and coming of age into adulthood. The notion of growing up is referred to when the protagonist finds his true self and develops a greater understanding about himself or/and the people around him. Both Stand by Me and The Perks of Being a Wallflower explicitly explore the theme of growing up. In the Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie stands at the back of the ute, embracing the wind and the rush, completely exposing himself to the danger of a serious injury. At the start of the book, Charlie saw Sam doing the same stunt and felt scared and self-conscious. He later tells his friends, while listening to a song track called Asleep, “I feel infinite.” In another example, Charlie’s sister Candace, only tells Charlie about the pregnancy issue because she fully trusts and loves him. After the procedure she says quietly, ‘I really do love you Charlie, I want you to know.’ The moral and psychological development of Charlie is evident in this act of the book. Stand by Me investigates the theme of growing up through using the four main characters, Gordie, Chris, Vern and Teddy. This can be realized by analyzing the change of maturity when facing numerous adversities such as finding a lifeless body, threatening other people with a gun and escaping near-death experiences with thundering trains. During an emotional breakdown, Chris reveals his conflicting and confusing emotions to Gordie and eventually starts crying, ‘Everyone knew I took it. Even Vern knew it I think. Maybe I was sorry that I tried to give it back.’ This shows maturity in Chris and this reflects in his character, especially near the end of the film where he refused to let the older boys take the dead body away because it was the right moral decision.
Another significant theme that both the Perks of Being a Wallflower and Stand by Me suggest is friendship. This is a crucial theme in many Bildungsroman texts because it easily portrays character development. Friendship is represented in the Perks of Being a Wallflower by using the main characters, Charlie, Sam and Patrick. The relationship between these three friends is very strong and almost brother-like and sister-like. Both Sam and Patrick care for Charlie like a younger brother and would do anything to make sure he had friends. An example of their friendship is when Patrick and Sam raise their glasses to Charlie and say,” To Charlie,” who at that time had no friends and had tears streaming down his face. This emotional scene really displays the power of friendship in Bildungsroman and coming of age texts. In Stand by Me, the four friends stuck together, joked around and they were there for each other when it counted. An example of this friendship is when Gordy stood up to the group of bullies who tried to steal the corpse and threaten the life of Chris, his best friend. Gordie pulled a gun on Ace Merrill and used it to intimidate the older boy into spitefully leaving and said, ‘You’re not taking him ever.’ Both examples of friendship reveal aspects of growing up and the importance of friends.
Death is the next pivotal theme of the Bildungsroman genre displayed in both texts. Death shapes characters usually into something emotionally weak but it can also strengthen characters. Both the Perks of Being a Wallflower and Stand by Me use negative connotations of death. In Stephen Chbosky’s novel, Charlie faces death at the start of the book when his best friend, Michael commits suicide and when his beloved Aunt Helen dies in a car accident, Charlie is sent into an abyss of pain, darkness and hopelessness. He slowly recovers when he meets Sam and Patrick. In Stand by Me, Gordie is plagued by the death of his older brother, Denny Lachance. His parents ignore him and don’t support his ambitions to be a writer. Gordy often feels that his father thinks it should’ve been him that died instead of Denny. Also, the boy’s face a lifeless corpse, thinking it would be fun and come to a realisation that they don’t want to be famous or enjoy celebrating one’s death. The theme of death is common in Bildungsroman texts because it offers a deeper understanding of the character and their emotions.
The Bildungsroman genre should be an essential aspect in the school curriculum because it gives a different perspective of life. The main themes in the Bildungsroman genre is growing up, friendship and death. In Bildungsroman, the goal is maturity of the protagonist, often involving conflict with society and themselves. The study of these books will inspire personal growth and it will further develop one’s character.
