The various ways in which manhood appears and emerges within cultures involves a broad examination and definition of what a man means and what a man should be. The notion of virility and masculinity is shown in the main characters of the works of JM Coetzee and Toni Morrison. JM Coetzee's Boyhood: Scenes from a Provincial Life and Toni Morrison's Home are both set in different places with different cultures resulting in different meanings of what a man is. Coetzee's autobiographical novel, Boyhood, is set in South Africa during the period of conflicts of cultural identity and race. Boyhood tells the story of the main character John, an intelligent, intellectual and sensitive boy. John always feels unique and different, he always thinks about himself and his uniqueness. His uniqueness and alienation from his environment cut him off as a child and affect his growing conditions and virility. On the other hand, Morrison's Home tells the story of the consequences of the life of the main character, Frank Money. Money, 24, served in the Korean War and was later discharged from the Army. During the Money War, he took many lives, including the soul of a young Korean girl he will never forget; Money's two best friends were both killed during the war. These events left Money with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which affected his sanity and manhood. While literature shows how culture, race, people, and events can influence manhood, this article will study and explore the theme of manliness differently between the main characters Coetzee and Money. Although both novels show conceptions of manhood differently, the style of narration plays an important role in the construction... middle of the paper... he hated his father was that his father knew how Coetzee protected his manhood and had exposed "the armor" with which Coetzee protected himself from the world with. The events and surroundings that took place during Coetzee's youth are what shaped his manhood and what made him what he is today, a well-known and accomplished author. Detachment from family and friends, the post-war period and the landscapes of South Africa played an important role in Coetzee's life in Boyhood. Since Coetzee had neither religion nor race in common with his friends, this always acted as a barrier and affected his childhood greatly because it was difficult for him to bond or socialize with any of these schoolmates. Although Coetzee had a conventionally happy childhood, the tragedies and obstacles he faced growing up did not stop him from developing and progressing..