Coming of Age in Gorilla My Love Essays

Coming of Age in Gorilla My Love Essays Coming of Age in Gorilla My Love Paper Coming of Age in Gorilla My Love Paper Coming of age is an experience that varies from culture to culture, but one that every child will go through; it is the transition of youth to adulthood. Coming of age is a series of important events in ones life and can sometimes be a difficult transition. It is this concern that Toni Cade Bambara focuses on in her short story â€Å"Gorilla My Love†. The Story begins with the main character, Hazel, navigating down the road with her uncle Hunca Bubba and her brother Baby Jason. The story shifts quickly into a flashback memory taken place at the movie theater with Hazel and her two brothers after she is shown a picture, but the movie they planned to see turned out to be completely different from what they thought. Towards the end the story shifts back to the car and Hunca Bubba proceeds to let her know he will be marrying his new girlfriend which then angers Hazel, as she explains, â€Å"and I’m crying and crumplin down in the seat and just donâ €™t care.† (68) She points out the time when her uncle promised hed wait and marry her and goes on to let him know he is a liar. Hazel is painfully growing up. The primary way Bambara communicates this theme is through the way she characterizes Hazel. The stories narrator Bambara does a well job communicating to the reader Hazel’s firm impression of virtue, although her dialog and actions can be misleading. Honesty is an important role in what she believes.As readers, we see that the perception of integrity is unusual in her eyes and to some extent child like. Taking everything so literally, she expects people to mean  exactly  what they say. As readers we learn immediately that names play an important role in â€Å"Gorilla, My Love† Hazel gives us many nicknames including Badbird, Miss Muffin, Peaches, and Scout. These nicknames were given out before we even knew Hazel’s name, which allows the reader to paint a picture about how her peers view her. All carrying a childish vibe to them indi