In The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, Todd Hewitt lives his life in anticipation of his thirteenth birthday, when he, according to Prentisstown, will become a man. When Todd escapes Prentisstown before his birthday, he is not able to complete the ‘ceremony’ that transitions a boy to a man, only to later realize that his journey and what he knows about his society, makes him more grown up than his birthday. When he acquires knowledge, he is able to judge his town and decide for himself if he wants to be a ‘man. ’ When he decides he does not want to be, he asserts his maturity and wisdom (Ness 444, 465). Todd’s decision proves that adulthood is not necessarily marked by a formal ceremony, but can be attained through his newfound enlightenment and
In The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, Todd Hewitt lives his life in anticipation of his thirteenth birthday, when he, according to Prentisstown, will become a man. When Todd escapes Prentisstown before his birthday, he is not able to complete the ‘ceremony’ that transitions a boy to a man, only to later realize that his journey and what he knows about his society, makes him more grown up than his birthday. When he acquires knowledge, he is able to judge his town and decide for himself if he wants to be a ‘man. ’ When he decides he does not want to be, he asserts his maturity and wisdom (Ness 444, 465). Todd’s decision proves that adulthood is not necessarily marked by a formal ceremony, but can be attained through his newfound enlightenment and