Throughout the first half of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, there is a continuous theme of maturation. The main character Francie is a young girl living in the slums of Brooklyn who has no choice but to take part in suffering and hardship in order to survive. Her and her family scrounge for extra money, a mere penny a treasure in Francie'e eyes. As the story progresses, Francie can be seen going from a small child oblivious to the realities of life to a wise teenager who must learn to get through the tough times without complaint. This evolution of her coming of age is what makes the theme of maturation so intense.
One of the first instances that represented a maturing moment in Francie's life was when she developed her ability to feel and have reaction to others. When taunted and spat on by another girl, Francie felt emotional pain she had not experienced before. She struggled to keep from showing her hurt by forcing the bitter tears back, instead grieving inside herself. She "sat in the dark a long time waiting until the waves of hurt stopped breaking over her. It was the first of many disillusionments that were to come as her capacity to feel things grew." This shows the new discovery within herself of certain emotions, introducing the theme of maturation.
Another major step in her growth as a character was when Francie made the decision to leave her old school, which sustained a very cruel environment, by enrolling in a new school. She took it upon herself to realize that she needed a change and found a school that tended to all of her emotional and academic needs. This in turn proved to Francie that there were better places than the street she called home and that not all people had cruel intentions. "It showed her that there were other worlds beside the world she had been born into and that these worlds were not unattainable." This was a very big step for Francie to take and learn, for until this point she had not known of the world's opportunities. The theme of maturation can definitely be seen through this situation.
Near the halfway point in the book, Francie realized herself that she was growing up and maturing. At first, for fear of facing reality, Francie thought that everyone and everything around her was changing. This put her into a panic, as she was unsure of what was happening. In the end, however, she soon came to the correct realization. "Nothing was changing. She was the one who was changing." Things in life she had grown accustomed to now no longer seemed the same, as her perception of reality was changing. She began to question the reason for her family being hungry and not having any food, and she became dissatisfied with the way the theater produced happy endings in the nick of time. This was not life, she now knew, and the pretenses had become foolish to her eyes. Francie was truly going through a stage where her past oblivion was being faced with the plain facts of life, this being a turning point in the novel. The theme was most intense here because the main character was actually realizing and pronouncing her maturing to the reader.
As you see, the theme of maturation has already been well developed, even though only half way through the story. I am curious to see how the author will develop the theme in the upcoming half and how Francie will deal with her new discoveries in life.