“A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you’re in and take advantage of it.”
People encounter different ways by which they enter new stages of experience that bring about growth and change. ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’ and ‘Finding Forrester’ both teach us the consequences of moving into the world.
Tom struggles to move into the world because of emotional barriers that are stopping him from growing resilience from the force of leaving behind his old and familiar world, into a world he is unable to feel comfortable. Tom slowly escalates towards hope of growing into his new surroundings with help from his family and friends that encourage and support him through the hardship.
Tom views a flashback from the accident, which shows that the memories still lingers in Toms mind and demonstrate the struggle for Tom to cope and adjust. The emotive language in this transition shows Toms sentiment that he felt on that night which in contrast signifies the difference between Toms worlds before and after the accident. Tom describes his feeling as like he was ‘falling into the darkness’. Being able to emphasise Toms emotional battles are easily interpreted through first person, this allows the reader to benefit from authentic definitive emotions that Tom is feeling. The people around Tom are all dealing with their grief in their own way and at their own pace. Tom is impatient with his mother’s acceptance and fails to understand her personal response to Daniels absence; this also holds Tom back as he struggles to watch his mother suffer in silence.
Tom has been forced into a world that he is unable to dominate and designate what experiences he goes through, he is able to benefit from his friends and family supporting him and providing him with guidance through his alteration. This corresponding movement is also