Later

One of the ways in which Later conforms to an archetypal coming-of-age story, with respect to fairy tales and folktales, is through Jamie’s transition from the world of women to the world of men. As a child, Jamie lives with two devouring mothers. The devouring mother can take two forms—the overprotective mother who prevents her child from entering adulthood, and the wicked stepmother who seeks to kill or literally devour the child. In Jamie’s life, Tia is the overprotective mother, and Liz is the wicked stepmother.

Eventually, Tia relinquishes her role as the overprotective mother and pushes Jamie to fend for himself. For a boy like Jamie, this involves differentiating from his mother and becoming a man. Part of this differentiation involves confronting and overcoming the wicked stepmother. Jamie eventually accomplishes this task by calling on the demon that represents manhood—both its strength and its danger.

However, it isn’t enough for Jamie to leave the world of women—he must find his way into the world of men. When Jamie needs help dealing with his looming manhood, he realizes that he can’t turn to his mother, so he seeks Professor Burkett, who represents the world of men. Becoming a man is often marked by an initiation.