Coming of age stories are all about trying to find your place in the world, whether you're a young man trying to find where he fits in, an elderly gentleman searching for a part of his past, or an extraterrestrial living in the body of a pug.
Okay, coming of age may seem complicated in Men in Black with the whole alien-living-inside-a-dog thing. After all, it's hard enough trying to find your place in the world when you're only aware of the humans on Earth. Jay has to find his place in the world while dealing with the alien societies hidden across Manhattan. Tough order. And it's not just a young man's game in MiB. After 30 years with the agency, Kay's questioning if it's still the place where he belongs. The film is a coming of age bonanza.
Well, except for Frank. He seems right at home in that pug body.
Questions about Coming of Age
- Do you think Jay comes of age by the end of the film? Why or why not?
- Do you agree that Kay also undergoes a coming of age during the film?
- Could the coming-of-age theme be applied to any of the non-human characters?
Chew on This
Like a lot of science fiction, Men in Black treats humanity as a species still in its infancy.
Unlike Kay, who grows throughout the film, Zed stays an eternal father figure throughout.