Finding a purpose (ft. Beth Harmon)

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Beth Harmon from The Queen’s Gambit experiences a coming of age story when she begins playing chess. Through competing in her first tournaments, entering high school, and becoming an adult, Beth changes drastically in her confidence, personal relationships, and dealing with physical maturity.  Beth’s experience playing chess has on her confidence and sense of self that she lacks as a child, and chess changes the way she interacts with others and with stressful situations. In her first weeks after being adopted, she has no connection to her adoptive family, sits alone during lunchtime at school, and is bullied by other students. As she hadn’t played chess competitively in a few years at that point, it appears that her self confidence is at an all time low. However, finding success in a chess tournament helps her regain her footing and her attitude towards school and her peers changes. While she was bullied and excluded in school prior to the beginning of her high school chess journey, she stops caring about other kids at school, having found a passion to focus on. Another coming of age element in The Queen's Gambit is Beth reaching physical maturity when she starts her period, which has clear ties to ideas of adulthood, sexual maturity, and change.

Lastly, Beth comes of age through her relationships with her adoptive mother and her former mentor evolving as she grows. While she and her mother started off distant and unable to understand each other, the two eventually find the common goal of chess, and Beth finally finds a close and dependable maternal figure. This is significant to coming of age because of Beth's unstable childhood and lack of good parental figures, and her change in that aspect definitely shows her entering a new stage of life. Beth’s final step in leaving her childhood is moving on from her very first chess teacher and mentor, Mr. Shaibel. She first learned chess from him in the orphanage basement, and from those small beginnings she grows to be the world champion in chess. To leave behind an important mentor and learn to be self-sufficient is the essence of coming of age: from dependance to independence. 

Overall, Beth Harmon's story shows the importance of her having a purpose and drive in life, as it took her from a bored, disinterested child to a determined adult with many close relationships.



Comments

  1. Madeleine K.February 1, 2021 at 5:51 PM

    I really liked the Queen's Gambit as a coming of age story. When she became sober and no longer used drugs and drank a lot I saw that as a major step in her coming of age, too. I thought that chess was super important in terms of her coming of age and I agree about how important her relationship with her mother was for her. I agreed with all of your points and I really liked how you talked about her shift from dependence to independence.

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  2. eveFebruary 2, 2021 at 2:58 PM

    Really like this show as an example of a coming of age narrative. They way Beth goes through up and downs in her journey to adulthood is really interesting and not as often represented in media. Sometimes she appears closer to adulthood, but then she seems to move closer to childhood. In the end, most of her life is performance, kind of "fake it til you make it." Eventually she does make it, as she becomes a secure and confident adult. The road to that conclusion is more difficult than she thought, as is often the case.

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  3. RowanFebruary 3, 2021 at 8:08 AM

    It seems like chess is a really important part of every aspect of Beth's maturity and all of the changes that she goes through are exemplified through chess, like how it brings her closer to her mother and builds her confidence. It seems like a coming of age story that is very tailored to her needs as a character and her passions and interests rather than some sort of universal landmark or event which is really cool as well.

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  4. erin's blogFebruary 9, 2021 at 10:34 AM

    Beth's coming of age is kinda split into three parts? It begins when she discovers chess as a kid in the orphanage, continues when she uses chess to support her mother and to find relationships, and ends when she realizes she doesn't need the pills to play after beating the Russian dude. It's cool how chess is central to all of that

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  5. Lauren L.February 21, 2021 at 9:55 PM

    Her story is really awe inspiring, the way childhood interests can become lifelong passions is definitely amazing, i think most people pursue something at least remotely related to what they enjoyed as a kid and the complex way that shapes and drives their own coming of age is incredible

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