How Did Johnny Progress?

Authors Note: I recently wrote a character development piece called “Changes”. It is about a boy named Johnny and how he developed into a good person through life experiences. I will be talking about how he developed into a mature young man.

The road downhill all started when Johnny was 7.  It was a relaxed Sunday afternoon with a breeze of excitement traveling through the room. Why, Because Johnny and his parents were watching Sunday Night Football and the Giants just won the superbowl. Johnny and his parents heard this huge boom coming from the level above them. The confused boy frantically hid behind the couch with a blanket on his head while the parents cautiously tip toed up the stairs to see what the disturbance was.  Suddenly, Johnny heard this ear piercing noise that could only mean one thing…a gun shot. From that point on, Johnny’s actions began to slowly go downhill. He started to steal, do drugs, and dropped out of school. But after twenty years of self-destruction, Johnny started dramatically changing his ways. He went to college, got a degree in engineering (he was always a genius), found a beautiful wife named Sally, had three kids and lived happily ever after.  Johnny developed into a great young man through life experiences.

To start off with, Johnny affected the lives around him in numerous ways. One way, in the story Johnny changed the life of his best friend Paul. You see, at Johnny’s fourth foster home he met this boy named Paul. Within the first minute they were like two peas in a pod. Every day their friendship grew stronger, but then bad habits started to occur with the two young teenagers. Paul introduced Johnny to some substances and that became the third wheel to their close friendship. After months of the drug abuse Johnny tried to get Paul and himself clean. The attempt failed, and Paul later died due to an overdose and a stop to the heart. Although Johnny wasn’t able to save Paul’s life, he did try to affect Paul’s life by trying to make him stop.  Unfortunately, Paul didn’t have the correct mindset. Even though Paul’s attempt failed, Johnny managed to get himself clean. This is one of the experiences that developed Johnny into an admirable young man.

Also, Johnny started to speak out about his own life experiences. He would go to schools and inform them about his past, and leave them with the message, “No matter what you have gone through, there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel, and hope will always find its way”. If Johnny hadn’t talked about his life experiences, maybe some of those kids might still have gone on the path that Johnny did. But when they heard his fascinating story, they might have realized I don’t want to live this way, I want to get a degree, I want to go to college, I want to get a nice job, and I want to have a family!  Johnny affected the lives around him and this is how he also turned into an inspiring young man.

Finally, Johnny profoundly valued his family, and worked extremely hard to always put them first. Johnny’s loss of both parents deeply affected him and the result was that he always put his family first. At all times he looked up to his dad, and when his dad and mom sacrificed their lives for Johnny, Johnny knew he would do the same for his own family. Johnny also made every single moment matter with his family because you never know what you have until it is gone. By doing this he would prioritize his time with family dinners, taking his kids to the park, and playing games with them. By being a role model for his family, Johnny once again shows how he developed into a mature young man.

In conclusion, these many ways show how he developed into a fine young man by putting his family first, affecting the lives around him, and being a good remodel. Johnny’s life was not always a walk in the park, but he didn’t let life’s difficulties weigh him down. “No matter what you have gone through, there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel, and hope will always find its way”.