The usual thoughts of people who are in their mid-teens are far from the truth about maturity. At the ages of fifteen and sixteen, everything is beginning to change. Licenses are earned, higher levels of academics are faces, and more physical changes take place. "A Sunrise on the Veld", by Doris Lessing, introduces the idea of adulthood and maturity that is seen through a child's eyes. In this story, new experiences and the recognition of nature's ways assist in the transition from boyhood to adulthood.
Though the universal character in the story, known as "the boy," feels he is already mature enough to be an adult. The story symbolizes that much more than physical change is involved in the process of maturity. In the title, the word sunrise stands for, not only early in the day, but also early in the boy's life. And, the word veld symbolizes the world, his outlook of the world, and possibly that there is danger in the world. The first line, "The first bird woke," (1) represents starting early in life, which could mean that the boy is trying to mature too quickly, and he probably cannot handle it. The fact that the boy had come to hunt the birds, but he was too late shows the immaturity and irresponsibility that the young boy has, and he did not care. The boy also looks at the clouds and daydreams. These characteristics support the idea that the boy is not an adult. He may feel that the world revolves around him, but he is still a child in reality and he needs to enjoy that while it lasts.
The ideas that the boy derives from his imagination show that he is immature by themselves. The gun that is carried is a symbol for maturity, yet the boy carelessly swings it around as a toy. The boy produces unrecognizable noises and runs madly and carelessly "like a wild thing," (1). The boy was not thinking of safety; he did not care, so he jumped around wildly. Swinging a gun, making weird noises, running and jumping around madly; these are definitely not acts of maturity.
