In A Wizard of Earthsea, Ged runs into one of the classic problems of growing up: he has to do some things that he doesn't want to do. Some of his duties don't matter all that much. Like helping his dad out at the forge – it would be nice if Ged helped out rather than wandered through the woods, but this isn't a life-and-death situation, right? Later in life, Ged faces situations where his duty is clear and he does his job – even when it's not a glamorous job that he can take pride in, or when he may not be powerful enough to do the job. As Ged grows older, he understands that he has responsibilities that he must take care of, and he's fine not wandering through the woods when those duties come calling.