Masculinity is something that many people see and define differently on many levels. Throughout The Big Lebowski different styles of masculinity are seen to be conflicting each other in many different ways and forms. In the movie the dude, Walter, The Big Lebowski, Donny, and The stranger are seen as five different styles of masculinity. The Main character “The Dude” is seen as a middle aged hippie who’s just an ordinary guy. Walter, “the Dudes” best friend, is a Vietnam veteran is always about the rules. The Big Lebowski is a millionaire that is all about using time wisely using his time productively. Donny is the one character in the movie that is very neural and good natured. One of the main ideas of this movie is figurative castration …show more content…
Um, I am not “Mr. Lebowski”. You’re Mr. Lebowski. I’m the Dude. So that’s what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.” I interpret this as The Dude trying to explain who he is as a man by standing up for his name which is who he is. When The Dude was in the home of The Big Lebowski, he looks into the time magazine mirror, I see a hidden meaning behind that which is what makes a man. Can a man really be a man without his manhood? Throughout the movie many things tie into the theme of masculinity or what makes a man. Castration is seen throughout the movie from the three thugs that break into The Dude’s house threaten to castrate him to The Big Lebowski being disabled to a wheel chair. That can be seen as The Big Lebowski being symbolically castrated, without him being able to walk. Each of the characters demonstrate one thing that seems to define a man, but why doesn’t one character have all these characteristics? In the movie when The Dude enters times of stress of impending violence for example when Treehorn’s thugs shove his head in the toilet and the Big Lebowski ranting at him, he puts his shades on. The Dude seems to be uninterested in competing with the “Manliness” of The Big Lebowski or Treehorn’s thugs. This shows that the dude doesn’t really seem to care about the idea of being a man means being powerful. When The Dude met with the Big Lebowski for …show more content…
But perhaps you’re right…
You mind if I do a jay?
Bunny…
‘Scuse me?
Bunny Lebowski. She is the light of my life. Are you surprised at my tears, sir?
Oh, Fuckin A.
Strong men also cry, strong men also cry…
The Big Lebowski asks The Dude what makes a man, yet the dude doesn’t know. He answers “A pair of testicles” this is correct but the theme of what makes a man defined by biological means or a person’s identity and who they are. The movie brings up many different conceptions of a man but since not one person has all the conceptions, the Cohen brother were implying that a man is not this perfect image society makes us out to be. I think that what a man is can’t be defined by society but only by the man himself. TBL “offers us an imaginative redemption from the cultural, structural imperatives that work to constrain us” This quote from Fred Ashe’s article gives the idea of……… Out of all of the different styles of masculinity in The Big Lebowski shown by the characters, only one seems to be a real man. The Dude an unemployed slacker and stoner, physically unfit, cowardly, and poor. This is very far away from what society considers a man, by the end you see that he ends up being very courageous and willing to do the right
Have you ever wondered why all men act the same? In the reading “Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code”, Michael Kimmel critics what it means to be a man and the “Guy Code” they are expected to follow. According to Kimmel, masculinity is a problematic social construct that invokes behaviors that men tend to follow unconsciously. The unconscious behaviors that men tend to follow is know as the “Guy Code” that is passed down to them when they were young. Kimmel informs the audience, mainly women about the negative effects inflicted upon men due to following the “Guy Code”. Kimmel uses pathos and logos very effectively to paint an image of why men act the way they do and how it hurts them.
The theme in the book Shane, by Jack Schaefer, portrays that true manhood consists not of bravado or status, but of character, honor, and loyalty. The main character is a man named Shane, who rides into a small valley mysteriously at the beginning of the book and takes a position as the aid of a farmer, Joe Starett. When Shane arrives, Joe and the other farmers of the valley are struggling, while the rancher Fletcher is the highest valley authority. The townspeople and Bob, Joe’s son, struggle to discover what make a man honorable and manly. They hold Fletcher and his cowboys as authorities, manly men in a culture that admires this, because of the glamour of their profession. Fletcher’s confidence and bravado, as well as his profession and position, appear to the townspeople to be the epitome of manhood. Bob falls into this easy way of thinking as well; he says that before Shane came into his life his highest aspiration was to become like his father, but his ambition was to first be a cowboy. Bob visualizes himself riding through the country: rough, strong, free, and well-liked. After Shane arrives, Bob starts thinking about true manhood, comparing his father, Shane, Fletcher, and the cowboys. He realizes that manhood is not being like Fletcher, with shows of bravado designed to insult others, but instead is standing up for your family and principles when necessary. Bob also learns that manhood has to do a great deal with character, finding
Masculine’s definition is stereotypically twisted. The myth and reality of the cowboy shaped today’s definition of masculinity because they have this high and strong structure they need to uphold. Masculinity is having the traditional acts as a man, such as being strong and secure. In today’s world man and women have two different mindsets. Even though we are all humans, our gender defines the way we should act due to how society makes it. The myth has affected males physically, emotionally and mentally. The idea is that they are supposed to act accordingly. In reality, everyone wants to grow up differently, so why would they be forced to act/be a certain way?
Both I Love You Man and Think Like a Man take similar approaches in ways in which they take the approach of representing hegemonic masculinity as being a necessary yet subtle feature of masculinity. An example of this can be seen when Peter's brother Robbie sets him up on a mandate with a man named Lonnie who is easily identifiable due to his voice often cracking, which most likely to indicate femininity as therefore his lack of masculinity. When Peter and Lonnie go to a soccer game, Lonnie gets into a fight with another spectator, which is seen as strange for a character who seemingly embodies a number of traits which are traditionally associated with women. Similarly, in Think Like a Man, Cedric is seen to be lacking some form of masculinity due to him constantly having to answer to his wife who seems to intimidate him making him the laughing stock amongst his friends. This is something which is reflected in his inability to successful chat up women with him again been seen as a joke. Moreover, the very plotline of the film shows seems to reinforce the idea that in order to be seen as masculine, men must align with hegemonic masculinity thus, it is an important trait in masculinity. For example, Michael (who is played by Terrence
In Michaels Kimmel's article, Bros before Hos: The guy code. Kimmel is a professor at of the state university of New York. He identifies the key components of how masculinity is formed, in American society. Kimmel analyzes how the guy code implies to the development of a young child to a grown man and how the ideal man should be shaped. He explains how this idealistic ranges to the ages of sixteen through twenty-six. Kimmel starts off in the article addressing the problem he sees and four main rules of masculinity, based on the findings of a psychologist, Robert Brannon. Kimmel enforces how the guy code can create emotion barriers for men to show emotion because of the renfecomnet of society and the difficulty of not breaking the code’s rules.
When defining the term ‘manhood’, many people may use terms such as courage, strength, or bravery. Throughout history there have been many pressures on men to be as stereotypically manly as possible. If men don’t conform to those stereotypes, they may be looked down upon by society as a whole. Richard Van Camp’s short story ‘The Night Charles Bukowski Died’ is a prime example of the dangers of nonconformity to stereotypically manly traits. The story is an intense first person stream of consciousness from the point of view of an unnamed narrator that follows the narrator and three of his peers: Mikey, Jason, and Scott. The use of metaphor, point of view, and setting in “The Night Charles Bukowski Died” exposes how stereotypical expectations of manhood can lead to dangerous situations not only physically, but also socially and emotionally.
In one scene of the memoir, Allison describes her uncles and their need to be depicted as masculine and to act “hard” to the world around them. She also remembers her cousins as young boys and how quickly they seemed to turn into men. The time came for them to act as the world expected them to. This action shows how gender may oppress some males when they feel the pressures of the world to act a certain way. Otherwise, they are at risk for being seen as different and abnormal. Men who do not portray masculinity well are often seen as feminine and weak. When Allison describes her uncles she states, “If you didn’t look close, you might miss the sharp glint of pain in their eyes, the restless angry way they gave themselves up to fate,” (Allison, 28). These men already had their futures planned for them though the society and gender norms. Acting against these norms was seen as unusual, radical, and
Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, and the documentary, The Mask You Live In, both stress that being a man isn't always about showing power, physical dominance and violence like how society has taught men all their lives. Both texts suggest that being a real man is about showing emotion and protecting the ones you love and realizing it alright to be vulnerable at times.
When someone is thinking of a man, what do they think? Strong? Brave? That’s what most people think; in reality that is a very false image. In “Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code,” Michael Kimmel, talks about what it means to be a man and what it takes to be a man in today’s world. Men are pressured into what they “should” be. If they don’t follow certain unwritten rules, which include: not asking for directions, not giving up, not showing fear, or any signs of emotional weakness, such as tears; they are considered less than a man, a wimp. A real man must be aggressive and brave, he must defend his territory: status, family, possessions. Men blindly follow the Guy Code, they must comply in order to be part of the pack, to fit in.
The movie surveyed a wide array of the troubles faced by boys and men as they try to navigate the realm of masculinity. A common theme was the command “be a man” and the cultural baggage that comes with living up to that ideal. To “be a man” means to not cry, to not be sensitive, to not let people mess with you, to respond with violence, to be angry, to drink, to womanize.
In the predominantly patriarchal history of the world masculinity and what it means to be a man have differed from culture to culture. When it comes to African American history and culture, particularly what it has meant to be a man has no clear set of universal rules or guidelines. There are a few different sources such as hip hop and television many young black men across America draw their sense of masculinity from. On the other hand, there are role models in black communities that many young black men also draw their sense of masculinity from. With so many different sources to draw a sense of what it means to be a black man in today’s society from what is the true definition of black masculinity.
Men that carry out the “machismo way of life” feel that they have to constantly prove their manhood to the world. This is generally achieved
Kimmel cites psychologist Robert Brannon for identifying the precepts of manhood and masculinity in America. These rules are as follows: “no sissy stuff,” “be a big wheel,” “be a sturdy oak,” and “give ‘em hell,” (Kimmel,
The raison d’etre of the Western is arguably to celebrate masculinity, but Brokeback Mountain is a revisionary Western that challenges definitions of masculinity. Discuss this statement with reference to Jane Marie Gaines’s and Charlotte Cornelia Herzog’s comments on the homoeroticism of the Western.
Strong, Independent, Intimidating, Powerful, Strong, Independent, In control, Rugged, Scares people, Powerful, Respected, Hard, A stud, Athletic, Muscular, A real man is tough, Tough, Tough” These are the responses of young men when they were asked what they believed what being a man was in the movie Tough Guise. This is a movie by Jackson Katz who is an anti-violence educator. The media that is taken in by the young men in our society is a very violent one. The men in most movies are portrayed as violent, tough, powerful, and criminals. The roles played by these men create an image for these young men making it seem ideal to be like them. The media influences the men and makes them have the negative portrayal of what a man is supposed to be. Masculinity reaches many people by influence through others.