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Masculinity In The Play Fences

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Bear VandiverMay 23, 2017English Masculinity Troy and Atticus both express true and false masculinity in the eye of Joe Ehrmann. They both are fathers of two and have substantial influences on the people they are close to. Troy, the protagonists in the play Fences, is a middle-aged man living with his family in Pittsburgh. One of Troy’s many flaws is having a stable relationship, which was one of Ehrmann’s subjects in his Ted Talk. Atticus was also a middle-aged man living in the 1930s, where he is a lawyer trying to defend a black man who goes by the name of Tom Robinson. These two characters have different characteristics, but both play tremendous roles as fathers to their children. As Joe Ehrmann talks about what it is to be a man, he brings up …show more content…

To have true masculinity, one does not need to be so rich. Troy failed to open his mind up and some repercussions were to lose the people he cared about the most. He was always trying to be the perfect man for being tough on Corey and trying to make as much money as he can when being the perfect man was just to be there and take care of his wife and kids. One man who has the perfect representation of true masculinity is Atticus Finch. Atticus is the father of two kids, Jem and Scout. To Kill A Mockingbird was set in the 1930s, where segregation plays a considerable role in the novel. Atticus is almost the exact opposite of Troy, Atticus has respect for his kids as well as others, he has lots of courage, and stays true to himself. These all define true masculinity. Unlike Troy, Atticus has a respect for almost everybody he meets. Ms. Dubose is a great example, almost everyone in the town sees her as an old lady who is a morphine addict. Atticus does not, he sees her as an old lady her has struggled her whole life. Nevertheless, Ms. Dubose battles hard and lets two young children in her heart. Not only did he respect Ms. Dubose, but he taught his two Children, Jem and Scout, to help her in any possible way

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