Masculinity In De Niro's Game

Throughout the novel, “De Niro’s Game”, the two main characters, George and Bassam are faced with a series of choices during the Lebanese Civil War that could ultimately be the difference between life and death for the two young men. As the novel focuses on the external conflict of the war ravaging Lebanon and the internal conflict within George and Bassam, there is a strong theme throughout the novel of masculinity and how masculinity relates to war and violence. In most scenarios, men are the ones that are depicted as warmongers and the fighters of the war, in an effort to cement their masculinity and protect the honor of themselves, their family, and their nation. War seems to be the best opportunity for men to prove their masculinity by showing acts of bravery and selflessness that they may not exhibit if they were not in the midst of a war. Often is the question asked if men can justify their actions in war because they must take all measures to ensure their survival, despite the terrible events that occur during war and the loss of innocence that comes with fighting in a war. Given the …show more content…
George chooses to let his anger control him and loses all moral reasoning and the ability to sympathize with others. In this way, George’s actions cannot be justified because of the extent of his actions and the downfall of his relationship with his best friend. However, Bassam’s actions can be justified because the war has taken everything from him, including both his parents, and he is justified in his actions to survive the war and leave Lebanon forever. The novel focuses mainly on the loss of innocence between the two young men and the psychological effects of war and violence on a society, as well as the ability or inability to justify one’s actions taken during