Norman's Journey To Manhood

During the film Fury, which take place in the midst of one of the most gruesome periods in human history, Norman who has only been in the Army for eight weeks and is trained as a typist, must gear up and become a tank crewman. He’s portrayed as un-masculine as he is belittled by his crewman both for his lack of experience and for his reluctance to kill Germans. Throughout the film he transitions from boyhood to manhood through the completion of manhood acts and homosocial interaction, including emotional detachment, sexual objectification of women, and competition. According to Schrock and Schwalbe, there’s a biological difference between a male and female that results in the categorization into two different groups (Schrock and Schwalbe …show more content…
While searching apartments, Norman and Wardaddy come across hiding German Woman Irma accompanied by her younger cousin Emma. Following the initial confrontation, Irma and Emma begin to make a meal for the two and Wardaddy uses appliances to shave. After they become more comfortable, Norman decides to go into the room with Emma when Wardaddy says he will if Norman won’t. Norman is motivated and convinced to go in when competition arises. Even though the scenes don’t show it, it’s assumed that they have sex making her into a sexual object Norman uses since they have no connection because they can’t even communicate due to language barriers. Following their sexual interaction, Coonass, Bible, and Gordo enter the apartment to find out that they were planning on having a meal without them. Already agitated, they discover Norman had Sex with Emma and begin to tease him about it as well as objectify her. This reveals the competitiveness men have over gaining the affection of women. This is probably heightened during the desperate times of war.
The ultimate transition from boyhood to manhood requires the completion of manhood acts so they may claim a privilege of sorts. Schrock and Schwalbe say “All manhood acts, as we define them, are aimed at claiming privilege, eliciting deference, and resisting exploitation.” These acts usually vary by culture and region. They also vary on situation, like Norman’s situation where he is an un-masculine boy getting dropped into a situation that requires him to “man up” to be efficient and productive at his job. Throughout the film, Norman completes a number of war related manhood acts on his journey from a male to a