The Knife of Never Letting Go isn't your average coming of age story because the society Todd lives in—Prentisstown—has a pretty stunted sense of what coming of age involves. In some societies it's all about finding yourself and learning to take responsibility, but in Prentisstown, it's all about murdering a sacrifice and joining the army. In other words, Todd is coming of age in a town that hasn't really come of age fully itself. And yet, Todd desperately wants to become a man. Fortunately, though, he finds his own way of doing so, and it doesn't involve blood on his hands.
Questions About Coming of Age
- In the end, what does being a man mean to Todd? When does is this definition formed?
- How much of Todd's obsession with coming-of-age is because of the fact that he's the youngest member of Prentisstown? How much of it comes from just wanting to grow up? Use the text to support your answer.
- Does Viola come of age? How can you tell? How is her experience similar and different to Todd's?
Chew on This
Todd's coming of age story is a journey from ignorance to knowledge about the world around him.
In the end, Todd is more of a man than anyone else in the book, besides maybe Viola. Not because she's a man, but because she is of age, too.