Coming of Age Quotes in A Clash of Kings

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Narrator.Paragraph)

Quote #4

The longer he lived, the more Tyrion realized that nothing was simple and little was true. (18.Tyrion.116)

A key moment in any coming of age theme is when a character learns some great truth about the world that he or she was previously blind to. Tyrion is twenty-five years old in A Clash of Kings, but he's still figuring out how things work, so we'd say he's coming of age, too.

Quote #5

"Craster is his own man. He has sworn us no vows. Nor is he subject to our laws. Your heart is noble, Jon, but learn a lesson here. We cannot set the world to rights. That is not our purpose. The Night's Watch has other wars to fight." (24.Jon.196)

Jon is being groomed by Lord Commander Mormont to lead the Night's Watch. First lesson: A commander can't fix all the wrongs in the world, even when that wrong is as awful as Craster. We're starting to think this coming of age thing isn't going to be easy.

Quote #6

"A knight is what you want. A warg is what you are. You can't change that, Bran, you can't deny it or push it away." (36.Bran.52)

Another motif that pops up often in coming of age stories is the acceptance of things you can't change. Bran's been coming of age for two novels now, but he still hasn't managed to accept that he has been crippled. To be fair, it's a heck of a thing to accept.