There comes a point in every person's life when they gain a profound realization
about growing up. Both Ernest Hemingway and Stephen King describe situations in their
stories where this is intended to happen. In "Indian camp" and "The Last Rung on the
Ladder" the main characters encounter incidents that help them grow and mature.
In "Indian Camp", Nick undergoes several significant experiences, but he fails to
reach an epiphany. Nick is brought to the Indian camp and he witnesses a baby being
born (2). He is lucky to have the opportunity to witness something so special. It is sad
though that he cannot appreciate the miracle of birth for what it is, and is rather
indifferent towards the whole thing. After the baby is born, they go to check on the
father and find that he slit his throat, "Nick, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, had a
good view of the upper bunk when his father, the lamp in one hand, tipped the Indians
head back" (4). Nicks father tries to hide it from him because he does not want Nick to
see such a brutal and disturbing scene. Nevertheless, unlike the delivery of the baby,
Nick is interested in the self-inflicted death of the Indian and he wants to see the dead
body because he is curious about loss of life and he doesn't know what to make of it. At
the end of the story, Nick's father tries to explain dying to him, and Nick "...felt quite
sure that he would never die" (4). Nick is too young to understand either of the two
occurrences that he observes, so he is not scared or amazed. Because of his unfamiliarity
with the whole idea of passing away, Nick has abstract ideas about it, and that is why he
In "The Last Rung on the Ladder", Katrina commits suicide, and Larry finally
realizes that his family is more important than his profession. After Kitty writes Larry a
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