Part 6: Define bildungsroman.
A bildungsroman is a novel that focuses on how the character grows in education, development, and matures.
I think that most of the books that we read are bildungsromans.
My Antonia is one because throughout the book you see Antonia grow from an uneducated farm girl, to a smart, charming wife. Jim also grew up a lot in a sense that he used to be nervous of lot’s of things and always did what he was supposed to, but when they move to town he starts sneaking out to dances, which isn’t a good thing, but shows that he isn’t scared of everything anymore.
The Outsider is a bildungsroman because you see Ponyboy start to question the point of all the rumbles. With him doing that you can see that he is maturing and realizing what is important and what isn’t.
To Kill A Mockingbird is probably the best example of a bildungroman that we have read so far because in the book, Scout and Jem’s perception on race, sterotypes, and the people in their town, change so much. Jem especially matures because he really understands why the injustice in the courthouse was so bad. He also doesn’t just except things anymore, he questions them.
I do not think that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Outsider are bildungsromans because the characters don’t really change their opinion on anything and I didn’t really see them change in a very significant way.
