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caring, and nurturance” (Armsworth and Holaday). Byron’s childhood beliefs are
replaced with an understanding of reality: life is uncontrollable, doing the right thing can
be disastrous, and friends can be lost. Byron’s traumatic discovery of reality, the world of
adulthood, creates him into a hardened and experienced adult.
Conor’s low-fantasy tale holds distinct differences from Byron’s, particularly
Conor’s economic and mentorship status. However, Conor’s transition into adulthood
shares the same pattern of Byron’s narrative: formed by trauma, ignorance of the world
becomes knowledge, which impacts growth. At first, Conor internalizes himself to endure
his mother’s cancer. Conor even denies the subject of cancer with pet names, such as
“mum’s ‘little talk’” (Ness 15). Believing in this childish coping strategy, Conor loses the
friendship of Lily, the only young character Conor interacts positively with in the novel.
Furthermore, Conor becomes antagonistic around his grandmother and father, suffers
from a recurring nightmare, and, as described by the third-person narrator, becomes
emotionally separated from the world: “It was like he’d suddenly turned invisible” (Ness
33). Like Byron, Conor ignorantly believes his hardship gives him understanding of
reality.
These beliefs are usurped when Conor encounters the Monster, whose stories are
meant to educate Conor through his ordeal. Conor originally thinks the Monster’s stories
are obvious lessons, as childhood has taught him. In reality, the Monster’s three spoken
tales instruct Conor on the true ambiguity of the world: “There is not always a good guy.
Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in-between” (Ness 30),
“Belief is half of all healing” (Ness 51), and “But there are harder things than being
invisible” (Ness, 69). The Monster contradicts Conor’s childish beliefs about reality and
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