Mark Twain Masculinity Essay - 2068 Words

19th century America was a time period in which the definition of masculinity grew through a man’s power and work. To be considered as â€Å"that man†, what was needed was power, wealth, and even the appearance of a man himself. It was often times violent in the battle for who was the â€Å"manlier man†, as it related to the real world of Twain’s 19th century. Masculinity was a way for these men to create dominance and get their way throughout duels and even bargaining. Twain’s view on 19th century America can be of comparison to Arthurian England with the comparison of a King and the lower man. Twain builds on the world that men have come to think that doing one bad thing, is even good for their wellbeing, and to hold that masculine image.†¦show more content†¦The diction is used rather than much simpler words to build onto the scene and write it to be more detailed. The idea of gender and masculinity created by Jehlen gives us an idea of how masculinity seen through the viewpoint of Twain. Although Jehlen’s idea focuses more on the idea of femininity, an interpretation that could be quite significant is that there is a â€Å"literary phenomena that have no intrinsic association with sex† (263), opposing to Twain’s idea of masculinity because through literary devices, the men and masculinity can be viewed through dogs, there is no exact claim or connotation that women can be interpreted in this way. Jehlen’s theory is a contrast to Twain’s passage about the dog-fight because through reading the dog-fight the personification that can be interpreted is upon the men, because of the different feminine characters throughout the novel. On the other hand, it does relate to the previous cited quotes because there are few characters who work against the different associations with sex, such as Clarence, who comes off a bit more feminine and smaller in masculinity characteristics. Gender is s een by Jehlen as more of their nature over nurture and how men and women â€Å"reflect(s) history and culture rather than nature† (264), connects to Twains specific passage about the dog-fight because ofShow MoreRelatedThe Idea Of Modernity In Paul Therouxs Being A Man1418 Words   |  6 PagesIn Paul Theroux essay â€Å"Being a Man† appearing in his book, â€Å"Sunrise with Sea monsters: Travels and Discoveries† he challenges the modern views of what â€Å"being a real man† means in today’s society. According to Theroux, the concept of manhood is to â€Å"be stupid, be unfeeling, obedient, soldierly, and stop thinking.† (p.1) Throughout the essay he expresses his strong dislike of these standards he believes are an insult to the whole idea of masculinity. Through personal stories and various examples, heRead MoreThe Philosophy of Transcendentalism Essay1292 Words   |  6 Pagescreativity in all people. â€Å"Nothing is possible within o ur distinctively human world without creative insight and interpretation. His attention to what it means to make something new and his concern about the influence of the past, of books and monuments, mark him as an important figure in the production of a national literature† (Carr, 10). The Over-soul is the philosophy that the nature in which we reside creates our world in depth by means of our insight and interpretations. Emersons emphasis on nonconformityRead More The Forgotten Female in the Works of Ernest Hemingway Essay3143 Words   |  13 Pagesusually, of young men coming of age. There are few, if any, stories in the canon of women coming of age, however, and Hemingway is not the first to suffer the wrath of feminist critics. But is this wrath justified?    In his dissertation, Mark G. Newton reviews some of the critical literature that places Hemingway within the misogynist genre. Cliches [sic] abound, he says. Hemingway was in search of his manhood (an ignoble quest?); he hated women; he had a death wish and a thinRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesL. Jurkiewicz, Louisiana State University John Kammeyer-Mueller, University of Florida Edward Kass, Saint Joseph’s University Marsha Katz, Governors State College James Katzenstein, California State University John Keiser, SUNY College at Brockport Mark Kendrick, Methodist University Mary Kern, Baruch College Robert Key, University of Phoenix Sigrid Khorram, University of Texas at El Paso Hal Kingsley, Erie Community College Jeffrey Kobles, California State University San Marcos Jack Kondrasuk, University