Is Tobias His Own Man? The Book of Tobit as a Coming-Of-Age Tale

Abstract

ABSTRACT Responding to recent conversations surrounding the maturation of Tobias in the tale, the essay applies recent advancements in masculinity studies to examine the portrayal of Tobias in the book of Tobit as a coming-of-age story. In so doing, the essay offers one of few full length treatments devoted to Tobias in the tale. Analyzing the terminology used to refer to Tobias in conjunction with the shifts in characterization he experiences over the course of the story, the essay proposes that as Tobias advances from being a child, to young manhood, and finally matured manhood, he comes to replicate the model of masculinity passed down to him from his father. As such, his maturation proves less a matter of individuation and more a matter of social conformity than anything else.