Answer:
In "By the Waters of Babylon," coming of age and acquiring knowledge go hand in hand in the main character's journey. John is the son of a priest. He already has knowledge that others are not allowed to have. For instance, he and his father are allowed to go to the forbidden places and to touch metal, since it cannot kill them. Others fear metal and do not leave their own tribes. However, as John gets older, he chooses to leave his people in the pursuit of knowledge. He travels to a forbidden place, which turns out to be New York, and there he comes to an immense realization: the beings that once existed, the ones his people think were gods, were people just like them. They created machines that destroyed their cities, which is why people still fear metal. John's coming of age, his reaching maturity, is deeply connected to his journey. It is the driving force that starts it, and it is completed by the epiphany he has in New York.
Explanation:
"By the Waters of Babylon" is a short story by Stephen Vincent Benét (1898-1943), an American writer born in Pennsylvania. The story was first published in 1937 and the main character, John, is a priest who lives in a dystopian reality. Technology has led to humanity's demise, and the new societies that have emerged have gone back to religion and superstition, fearing metal and the abandoned cities. John belongs to the Hill People. He leaves his father and people behind and goes away on a journey in the search for knowledge.
