Reaction Paper about Paul Theroux’s “Being a Man”

In Paul Theroux’s book on “Being a Man,” he argues that there is a gap

existing between genders is the main cause of the social misfits that exist in our

society. He also mentions that manhood itself has made some men disown their

own identity. Theroux asserts that the whole idea of manhood in America is pitiful

compared to others. The idea about “what makes a man, Man” has been said and

been taught in many ways. Yet, we may think that there is something missing from

men. Nobody really knows what it is. Many think that there are women who are

taking something from men. There are also those who believe that women are

convincing men to give it away. By this, Men are left out in the world searching for

answers. In general, the definition of being a man restrains young boys who want to

become men in the near future. Men are considered in society as tough beacons

and strong leaders. They were expected by society to make laws that would bring

order to our society. It was said that the world is a scary place and in order to

promote order and peace, they are in requirement of men. However, that was in the

past. In modern American society, Paul describes man as, “be stupid, be unfeeling,

obedient, soldiery and stop thinking. Theroux himself describes his own as a kind of

person who hates being a man. He believes that masculinity or being a man is

oppressive that men have to live with for the rest of their lives. Presently, the roles

of men and women in society are becoming more difficult to differentiate.

Theroux believes that the idea of being manly is equals to an insult. Theroux

argues that gender stereotyping makes men feel more or less obligated to

masculinity just as the way women are obligated with their feminity. Theroux hates

being a man because they aren’t given the chance to improve their career. He even

included his own experience to prove this point. The careers that men mostly
choose or follow include medicine, engineering and business. Many societies do not

consider arts as a career that should be followed by men. Since Theroux himself

pursued arts, and has taken the course of writing, he asserts those people who have

had nuisances about his career. “As an American writer, he has been at pains in

order to prove his manliness.” In the book, Theroux described his opinions and

thoughts to describe how he feels about being a man. He uses his own experiences

to prove his points and according to him, he really dislikes being a man. Man is

stereotyped by society all because there are expectations on how they should

behave and should perform manly things.

In his arguments, Paul made a lot of senses personally as a reader. He

proved his hypotheses by sharing experiences and in that, he was able to convince

me even for just a little bit. In general, what he wants to prove is that gender

construct has made men feel like they should dislike their identity as a man and in

the process, rejecting part of their identity.