In the short stories
In the short stories, “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner and “The Lie” by Kurt Vonnegut, both main characters are maturing from childhood to adulthood. This maturing process occurs in two different ways. It can occur from speaking up for one’s self and sticking to one’s true values, even if those around disagree, as we see with Colonel Sartoris Snopes, in “Barn Burning”. Another way one can mature is by recognizing one’s feeling, helped by an outside factor, such as Eli Remenzel did with the help of his mother, Sylvia Remenzel.
Both Eli and Sartoris knew what they wanted, but they differed in how they acted. Eli did not take an active step in telling his father that he wasn’t accepted to Whitehill School for Boys, nor did he explain to his father that he didn’t want to go to the school altogether. Rather, he tore up his rejection letter and played along with his father until they arrived at the school. Sartoris