"The Red Dress"- Coming of Age Reflection

Each persons coming of age journey is different, but at the same time very similar because ultimately we all go through the same transformation.  This journey isn’t always easy or short, most of the time it’s a very tedious and enlightening experience. This journey of coming of age forces us to assimilate to our environment to be who others want us to be, and a newer more mature version of the childish us. These messages pertaining to coming of age are prevalent in the short story “The Red Dress” by Alice Munro. In this short novel it tells the journey one girl goes through to come of age and to transition into adulthood. The author shows through the narrator’s journey that when we come of age we are forced society to change into this new and reformed version of ones self that meets more of the expectation of society.

As one grows older and their identity becomes more mature and society starts to influence a person more than they can control. From the beginning to end of this short novel it drastically shows what and how this no named girl saw herself. For example in the beginning she had “Worn these clothes with docility, even pleasure, in the days when I was unaware of the worlds opinion”(Munro 1). This exemplifies the main message of the short story because it shows how, she was once unaware of these expectations society had for her, and that ones environment sometimes forces person to change. This may happen for many reasons, that include wanting to assimilate to our environment, and get into the norms of society.  People come of age to get a better understand of who they are and how they see themselves. 

Coming of age may sometimes be interpreted as a period of time where one was engulfed in awkward and uncomfortable situations that are helping a person shape their identity and create their self-image. People come of age to get a better understand of who they are and how they see themselves. For example, at the end of the short novel, “ Was it possible, could I believe it, was there nothing the matter with me after all?” (Munro 11). This shows how even through her journey at the end she realizes that she was never doing anything wrong and that she has the power to do anything. This shows the message of the story because it shows that she is assimilating to her environment to feel more confortable and mature. This quote also gives the reader a sense of importance of self image, and how your life is lived is dependent on how your view yourself and the world. One has to comfortable with who they are, if that person is every going to love and accept others and this new maturity of acceptance forces a person to come of age.