Riddley Walker is the protagonist of the novel as well as its narrator. He charts the course of his journey, beginning on his 12th birthday through his various adventures to the point where he becomes a traveling puppeteer and a counter-government figure. At the beginning of the story, however, Riddley is very much a child. He is being trained by his father to become a connexion man and he works as part of an excavation team, but he is an otherwise unassuming member of the community. Within the context of his small village, however, Riddley is a privileged individual. He may not see himself as particularly different from other people his age, but he is able to read and write. His literacy distinguishes him from others in a society in which stories, the act of telling stories, and the interpretation of stories are so important. By being able to express himself through writing and storytelling, Riddley begins to understand his power. From his first connexion to the time when he begins to write down his life’s story, Riddley’s journey is the slow realization of how much power he has as a story teller.