Thresholds at Ferris Beach Ferris Beach by Jill McCorkle is an enchanting novel that describes the intellectual and sociological development of Kate Burns. As Kate comes of age throughout the story, she crosses numerous thresholds, each of which has a profound impact on her unique maturation. The thresholds mark the different stages of Kate's life and stimulate her understanding of the complex world around her. Kate discovers that she lives in a world of random possibilities and opportunities, a world where there are no guarantees, but there are infinite possibilities. As Kate crosses each threshold, she learns from her experience and employs her new knowledge in everyday life, demonstrating her intellectual maturation. The Rhodes' move from Ferris Beach to their "split-level" in Fulton marks the first significant threshold in Kate's life, and thus the end of the "Helen Keller Game". Kate is an only child, the daughter of an eccentric father and a distant mother, and marked by a birthmark on her face. The birthmark is a source of extreme anxiety and worry for Kate, who will do anything for a clear, pristine complexion. In an attempt to comfort her daughter, Mrs. Burns tells Kate of many much worse disabilities people have faced while trying to put the birthmark into perspective. However, this comforting process serves as the catalyst for Kate's creation of the Helen Keller game, in which Kate blindfolds herself and tries to find her way around her room. He finds the game very difficult and frustrating and realizes how difficult it was to actually be handicapped. As Kate plays Helen Keller's game, she comes to terms with her birthmark and becomes less and less concerned about the discoloration on her face. When Misty moves... into the center of the paper... the infinite possibilities around her testify to her that in a world of infinite possibilities, anything can happen. Ferris Beach by Jill McCorkle is a compelling story about Kate Burns' coming of age. Kate endures tragedy in her friends' lives and in her own life and encounters many educational processes throughout her development. Kate's diverse experiences serve as meaningful thresholds that educate her about the reality of her surrounding society. Kate discovers that there are no guarantees in the random world around her, but she also realizes that there are infinite possibilities. The beauty of Kate's maturation is that the knowledge she gains from all her bitter experiences causes an overwhelming spirit of optimism. In a casual world where anything is possible, optimism is vitally important and is itself a manifestation of beauty.