Growing Pains, Silent Snow, Secret Snow by Conrad Aiken

"To be mature means to face, and not evade, every fresh crisis that comes." says Fritz Kunkel. This postulate is demonstrated through the character Paul in Conrad Aiken's Silent Snow, Secret Snow. This young boy is beginning to mature and grow out of his childhood, and he goes through a state of repudiation that comes to life as a psychosis. In fear, he reaches for his past and his childhood, which are represented by his neighborhood postman. However, he cannot hold onto that forever. Man has an innate fear of growing up, change, and the alienation that can come with it. This young b…