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Masculinity In Michael Kimmel's The Joy Luck Club

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Quotation Analysis “It is true, of course, that white guys do not have a monopoly on appalling behavior. There are plenty of young black and Latino boys who are equally desperate to prove their manhood, to test themselves... but only among white boys to the dynamics of Guyland seem to play themselves out so invisibly” (Kimmel 10). 1. Richard Blanco grows up being coerced into flirting and going out with girls. He does this in order to fit in with his friends and uphold the expectations of his family. Due to these obligations of masculinity, Richard feels stuck in a world that is not his own, and must meet other people to learn more about himself. Michael Kimmel notices that although many white people deal with masculinity, young people of color also have problems with proving themselves to their peers and it might be even more so because they are considered a minority. As a minority, people can feel left out and disregarded, something Richard must face while shopping and hanging out with friends. “One of the most startling things I found when I researched the history of the idea of masculinity in America for a previous book was that men subscribe to these ideals not because they want to impress women... They do it because they want to be positively evaluated by other men... Masculinity is a largely ‘homosocial’ …show more content…

Since Richard is homosexual and also an immigrant, he feels a large pressure to be silent. Richard is unsure of who to talk to, and doesn't understand his own identity because his family is not entirely supportive. Kimmel notices this silence that men may face because they are unsure of who they are, and if they will be accepted by their family and larger community. Although Richard does not talk with his friends or family about his sexuality, he meets a woman named Yetta Epstein while in travelling and discusses his own identity-crisis with her. Silence to his family is a way that Richard believes he can become in their eyes, a successful

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