How we cite our quotes: (Chapter, Paragraph)
Quote #1
I'd better not get another ruddy dog when my birthday comes. What I want this year is a hunting knife like the one Ben carries on the back of his belt. Now that's a present for a man. (1.65)
Todd has this obsession with becoming a man, which makes sense since he lives in an all-male society and is the last kid left in town. But let's take a look at some of the things that define being a man for him at the beginning—particularly, getting a hunting knife. Association manhood with weapons is a pretty stereotypical gender equation.
Quote #2
I will be a man soon and men do not run in fear but I give Manchee a little push and we walk even a little faster than before, giving the Mayor's house as wide a curve as possible till we're past it and on the gravel path that heads on towards our house. (2.55)
When Todd thinks about being a man, he thinks of bravery and physical strength. This also means that he won't acknowledge that he gets weak or feels scared. It this a healthy mindset or not?
Quote #3
I know what a girl is. Course I do. I seen 'em in the Noise of their fathers in town, mourned like their wives but not nearly so often. I seen 'em in vids, too. Girls are small and polite and smiley. […] They do all the inside-the-house chores, while boys do all the outside. They reach womanhood when they turn thirteen, just like boys reach manhood, and then they're women and they become wives. (7.16)
Now there's an old-fashioned definition for you. Todd's never seen a girl, and the only things he knows about them are from the Noise of other Prentisstown men. We all know that a memory or idea of a thing isn't always accurate. The men have preserved women in their memory as perfect people whose job is to take care of men and look happy while doing it.