The Concept Of Manhood In Paul Theroux's Being A Man

Paul Theroux 's, "Being a Man," is about what Theroux thinks the concept of masculinity is and what that definition is doing to society. Being a man in America, Theroux finds society 's idea of manhood to be restricting and suffocating. In his writing, he analyzes aspects of the social norm in one’s life that constrains the concept of free will. As a man he feels wronged by the pressure to be someone else’s idea of a man. His thesis is that for a man to be consider a man he must submit to a male mystique that diminishes his ability to live a fulfilling life. In turn, “being a man” brings nothing but negative things for men. There has been a negative connotation placed on the ability to identify as masculine. One can see his thesis when he writes, “it is a hideous and crippling lie; it not only insists in difference and connives at superiority, it is also by its very nature destructive-emotionally damaging and socially harmful.” Considering his argument pertains to a certain time period, it is convincing because of the details and examples he provides. In the first paragraph he brings up the issue with an example. Talking about fetishes is Theroux’s catalyst. Dr. Norman Cameron’s quote, “Fetishists are nearly always men; and their commonest fetish is a woman’s shoe,” is supposed to shock, to anger, and to rile up the reader in preparation for Theroux’s argument. This is a very effective strategy. From this spring board, I read the his following arguments with an already