In "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," Mitty escapes the reality of his manhood with daydreaming. He does this because his wife emasculates him. For Mitty, daydreams are better than dealing with a bothersome wife. Mitty is a real man in his mind as he fantasizes about saving the Navy hydroplane. Mitty is not happy and he argues with his wife over such things as overshoes. He is no doubt a curmudgeon, as we see when he calls the parking lot attendant "damn cocky" (Thurber 1361). Mitty is unlucky in life but we have to wonder how much of this is his fault. Many would look at him and see nothing that resembles a real man. His imagination is his escape, which makes Mitty happy, as he declares himself "undefeated" and "inscrutable" (1364). Mitty might know how to escape his awful world but he is taking a chicken's way out. We can look upon him as the weakest of men because he does not have enough backbone to do certain things to improve his life. In many ways, this kind of man is looked down upon by many generations through many eras. Being a man needs to include a certain amount of respect for oneself and Mitty lacks this respect. He appears to give up on his chance at a happy life. Mitty might be content within his dream world but this does nothing for the name of manhood across the world. Similarly, Morton is a weak character. He, too, allows his wife to emasculate him in a way that will only lead to misery. Morton is a small man and he wears glasses; we associate this kind of image with a wimp and Morton does nothing to eliminate this kind of thinking. Mitty escapes into his daydreams while Morton allows himself to be put down. He cannot face the bully on the beach nor can he stand up to his wife. He is bookish and would not handle life in the real world. He escapes, too, but he is running away from confrontation when he tells his wife, "Come on, let's get out of here" (Kaufman 839). His wife faces disappointment in her husband because he does not do the manly thing and stand up to the bully. She sees him as weak and realizes she can treat him the same way and he will do nothing about it. She said that she wants Larry to "learn to fight his own battles" (838) but her husband is teaching him to do the opposite as they walk away from the sandbox. Joe's father ignores discipline and Morton leaves it all to his wife. Published 40 years apart, these stories illustrate a contemporary conception of weak men in the modern world. Real men do no allow themselves to be pushed around -- especially by their wives. This notion is one that has not changed much over the years but the concept of being a man has experienced radical assaults in those f40 years. Since the publication of Walter Mitty, America witnessed the emergence of the...
It is safe to assume that both of the wives in these stories would have been drawn to the feminist agenda because of their need to control. However, as much as they want to be in control, nothing is more unattractive than a wimpy man or a man that will not fight. These weak men will only continue to lose respect from their wives because they can never stand up to them.
Faulkner masterfully weaves lives in and out of this fabric, demonstrating the importance of self-identity as well as social acceptance. Light in August, however, draws more attention to how the conflicts and differences between race, gender, and social constraints are destructive forces. The birth of Lena's child "holds out the promise of a new age that transcends the social contradictions that Joe's violent tale bears witness to" (Lutz), according to
In turn, Span One was recognized as one of the hardest working spans in the camp. Here we see how one event can alter almost everything. Brille was clever enough to get what he wanted not only for himself but also for his men through one small act. Head shows us the importance of working together to accomplish things. While we live in a society where more and more people
"Until someone follows in their still-preserved footsteps," he writes, "we are left to make the journey in our imaginations. It is a journey we [emphasis mine] can make." Beyond all the archival detail, this is the story Chaikin knows he really needs to tell: the imaginary journey, the courage that the Kennedy generation had to undertake a great deed, transcend its own technological limitations, and explore a previously impossible frontier.
In the historical world, there seemed to be fewer choices in life for many, and roles as adults were more stringent -- and defined as adult meaning very structured cultural templates. There must then be a bit of a Catch-22 when it comes to the advances made in gender thinking, family, and actualization since the end of World War II. Improvements in education, lifting of the gender-based glass ceiling
He continued to repeat the same behavior without at least trying to do something different. His dream probably kept him alive a little longer than he might have lived otherwise. As pathetic as his dream was, he owned it and believed he could reach it on some level. Willy's tragic flaw begins with a delusion. He chooses to foster that delusion instead of moving in another direction. He takes
Men Undressed: An Examination One of the most intriguing aspects of reading this anthology was how sex offered up these writers a more compelling platform upon which to write as sex is a topic which almost always grabs the attention of the reader, but which offered an opportunity for these writers to explore other, even more compelling topics such as emotions, the balance of power, gender identities, among others. Sex was
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