How do your experiences as a youth affect you as you grow older?
Many of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories deal with coming of age and maturity. Robin discovers life isn't handed to you, Brown comes full circle with his religion, and the elderly resent being old after not wanting to be young. These are three different outlooks on the topic of coming of age but they all relate to the central idea.
Robin learns that he needs to forge his own path and be happy with what he has. Not expect that everything will be handed to him.
Brown goes on a spiritual adventure in the forest only to find the dark side of religion where he encounters the Devil and loses his faith in purity in the human race.
The elderly have no desire to be young but they drink from the fountain of youth anyway. After they have no desire to be old and become violent all because they were given temporary youth.
Robin learns that he needs to forge his own path and be happy with what he has. Not expect that everything will be handed to him.
Brown goes on a spiritual adventure in the forest only to find the dark side of religion where he encounters the Devil and loses his faith in purity in the human race.
The elderly have no desire to be young but they drink from the fountain of youth anyway. After they have no desire to be old and become violent all because they were given temporary youth.