Zach Harriman faces the same fundamental challenge that all adolescents confront: the need to grow into adulthood. That the demands on him are vastly more significant than those faced by other teens makes little difference: He still must search his soul, find mentors, and practice the skills he’ll need to become fully capable and independent in the months and years ahead.

On top of the tragedy of losing a father on whom Zach depends for safety and self-assurance, the boy suddenly develops great physical and mental powers. All children inherit their parents’ strengths and weaknesses, and they must learn to deal with them as their full physical and mental abilities come into play during their teenage years; likewise, Zach must reckon with rapidly evolving capabilities, though his are an order of magnitude greater than normal. Like all teens, he struggles with the awkwardness of the sudden changes and how they throw off his normal responses to the world.

Teens often rebel against their parents and authority figures. It’s part of individuation, a necessary step on the path to adulthood. Zach’s new powers throw him into angry fits, much the way testosterone causes boys to act out as they struggle to adapt to their new body chemistry.