Being a man is a strenuous challenge as it is, but when masculine stereotypes set by society come into play, it brings the task to a whole other level. Men throughout history have been faced with daily tests as to whether or not societal norms are followed. If societal norms don’t get followed, one would become an instant outcast of society and would be looked upon as weak, girly, and an overall disappointment. There are stereotypes that are found in literature include the limiting of feelings and emotions, the treatment women receive from men, the economic and social standing that men display and finally, how men influence family life. Even though these stereotypes are finely ingrained into society, they are not always upheld by men and are
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This short story shows a sharp contrast to the masculine identity of this time because of how the 100 men of the camp suddenly bring out there emotional side as soon as the “Luck” of the camp is born. In this camp, the typical masculine ideal is to be someone that is rough, dirty, and strong. Once the camp finally has a newcomer, the baby, Luck, these men suddenly turn into the most caring group of 100 men around in order to take care of their newborn baby. A very possible reason that all 100 men as a group are so caring is that they are not quite sure who the actual father is. Once Luck is born, the camp is described as going through a great change to make everything much more presentable. “The cabin assigned to “Tommy Luck”—or “The Luck,” as he was more frequently called—first showed signs of improvement. It was kept scrupulously clean and whitewashed.” Before Luck, the story starts out with the environment being in complete disarray. “THERE was commotion in Roaring Camp” (Harte 1). Once Luck is brought into the equation at Roaring Camp, it creates an incentive for the men to have a love figure and to finally have the need to care about something. This breaks there stereotype of being considered hardnosed men that show no emotion to anything and use the one female in the camp, Sal, just for her
This short story shows a sharp contrast to the masculine identity of this time because of how the 100 men of the camp suddenly bring out there emotional side as soon as the “Luck” of the camp is born. In this camp, the typical masculine ideal is to be someone that is rough, dirty, and strong. Once the camp finally has a newcomer, the baby, Luck, these men suddenly turn into the most caring group of 100 men around in order to take care of their newborn baby. A very possible reason that all 100 men as a group are so caring is that they are not quite sure who the actual father is. Once Luck is born, the camp is described as going through a great change to make everything much more presentable. “The cabin assigned to “Tommy Luck”—or “The Luck,” as he was more frequently called—first showed signs of improvement. It was kept scrupulously clean and whitewashed.” Before Luck, the story starts out with the environment being in complete disarray. “THERE was commotion in Roaring Camp” (Harte 1). Once Luck is brought into the equation at Roaring Camp, it creates an incentive for the men to have a love figure and to finally have the need to care about something. This breaks there stereotype of being considered hardnosed men that show no emotion to anything and use the one female in the camp, Sal, just for her