In The Overwhelming, Mizinga tells Jack: "One is defined by what one is against. And who. To fight against these people, to fight for what is yours. To suffer and yet to fight su: This is what makes life precious and brings understanding (p 76-77)». Within the three novels that will be discussed in this essay, the above quote highlights the dilemma that each protagonist faces on their journey from innocence to maturation (word choice). The Overwhelming, the protagonist, Jack travels to Rwanda during the beginning of the Rwandan genocide. In search of his friend, Dr. Gansana, Jack discovers that the functioning of Rwanda is nothing like it to his home country and experiences firsthand the brutality that would occur in the following weeks He must make a decision between his son and his friend and ultimately chooses his son, leading to the death of his friend Ian McEwan, Leonard, a sheltered adult, travels to post-World War II German for work. Meet spy games and what can be called love. This bond takes him from adolescence to maturation, to the point where he inadvertently commits murder. Finally, Native Son, by Richard Wright, tells the story of Bigger, a young African American, who faces external conflicts from his immediate environment. In a racially discriminatory America, Bigger commits murder and is freed. He goes from being inhibited and dejected by his environment, to achieving a sense of freedom. That said, all of these men face murder, regardless of whether the decisions they made were deliberate or involuntary. Although their reactions are different, the murder can be seen to transform their innocence or contribute to their loss. In The Overwhelming, Jack Exley enters Rwanda with inte...... middle of paper ......k man in America. Although he also kills Bessie, she has less of an effect because she is also African American. Despite this, Bigger still commits murder. Fletcher states: “You are liable for murder if (1) you act (2) intentionally (3) to cause the death of (4) a living human being, and you do not act in (5) self-defense or while (6) insane (Fletcher , 97)”. In Bigger's case, he is guilty of both murders. Mary's murder was accidental but he disposed of her body in a brutal way for fear of being caught of the racial difference, it was very likely that Bigger would end up. in trouble for being caught with Mary, if not worse, lynched it is clear that these murders revolve around the fear of being discovered.