Ferris Beach: Search for Permanence Jill McCorkle's novel, Ferris Beach, fits perfectly into the popular genre of the Bildungsroman. Ferris Beach tells the story of Kate Burns and her struggle to find her identity in a rapidly changing world. Kate searches for permanence in the rapidly changing environment of the New South. Kate's search for permanence forces her to face many of the other vital questions in her life. The struggle to deal with change, a central theme in most coming-of-age novels, certainly plays an important role in Ferris Beach. McCorkle's Ferris Beach participates in the Bildungsroman tradition. Like Bronte's Jane Eyre and Dickens' Great Expectations, McCorkle's narrative focuses on the "coming of age" of its hero, in this case Kate Burns. Ferris Beach traces Kate's physical and spiritual journey to maturity as she faces sexuality, insecurity about appearance and, above all, the question of the impermanence of life. McCorkle sets her story in the changing South, creating a parallel between Kate's transition and the South's passage from adolescence. The transition of the South can be seen from the beginning of the novel where a mainstay of Kate's small Southern town, Mrs. Poole, complains about "staggered levels" (Northerners) moving into their neighborhood. Mrs. Poole's attempt to resist Southern change immediately confronts the reader; this sets the mood for the rest of the novel. As Kate Burns goes through adolescence, she slowly begins to realize that change can never be avoided, and change really scares Kate. Naturally, Kate tries to preserve moments of security, where everything exists as she would like. Kate desires permanence; his constant desire to stop time and freeze certain periods of time shows this desire. Kate takes mental snapshots of certain moments and simply cherishes and savors these moments. As Kate matures, she begins to understand that life's little surprises always bring the unexpected, both good and bad, and she must treasure the brief moments of security: "I stepped into the middle of the road and stayed there, with the lights stretching in both directions, shining in the deep, cold air, I could see my breath, I could feel my heat as it formed right there in front of me me, our house felt dark, faint lingering, I walked for a million miles, and I wasn't even sure if it was really a game or if I was imagining something familiar, the same way a bright light remains when you close your eyelids, as I imagine the sight of an eclipse would imprint on your eyes his image forever" (page - missing quote).