The Men in the Middle: A Study of the Crisis of Masculinity in John Cheever's Short Stories

Abstract

This thesis examines the male characters of John Cheever’s short stories with regard to the crisis of masculinity of the twentieth-century America. Cheever’s male characters typify the white-middle class suburbanites of the time, whose problematic masculinity became a main issue in the postwar society. It is believed that the crisis of masculinity was mainly rooted in the ideological dichotomy of politics, the corporate environment, and the domesticated home culture. Indeed, during the Cold War era, manhood was excessively employed in the political ideology against Communism, and fathers became the epitome of manhood who were forced to spend more and preserve the affluent home culture so as to embody the virtue of capitalism. Consequently, men were caught between the concept of aggressive manliness to stay strong against communists and the obligation of family man, which made them feel emotional emasculation, since it was hard for them to find masculinity by conforming to the sumptuous culture of the suburb. In terms of this manhood in crisis, Cheever’s male characters are divided into three main types by how they react to the crisis of masculinity in their suburban communities. The first group of male characters is the failed father and pursues the traditional masculinity of strong patriarch, refusing the roles of docile family man. However, their strong figures only exist in daydreams, and they result in having destructive endings after waking up from the illusions. The second type, on the other hand, embodies the devoted family man. Even though they have small aberrations to break out of the emotional inertia, these characters eventually return to their suburban homes and remain loyal to their families. The third type denounces the suburban culture and claims to build his own identity. These characters show that men can actually deny conforming to the suburban norms and find manhood by creating their own definition of masculinity. |본 논문은 20세기 미국의 남성성 위기와 관련하여 존 치버의 단편소설 속 남성 캐릭터들을 살펴본다. 치버의 단편소설 속 남성 캐릭터들은 전후시대 사회 속에서 남성성에 대한 위기의식을 가진 당대 교외지역의 백인 남성들의 전형이다. 이러한 남성성의 위기는 정치적으로 형성된 이분법적 이데올로기와 기업 환경, 그리고 지나친 가족 중심의 가정 환경에서 기인한 것으로 알려져있다. 실제로, 냉전 시대의 미국 정치가들은 구소련의 공산주의체제에 맞서 정치적 이데올로기에 남성성을 과도하게 이용하였고, 자본주의 정신을 실현하기 위해 소비하고, 사치스런 교외 가족 문화를 유지하는 아버지의 모습이 남성성의 전형이 되었다. 그 결과, 당대 남성들은 공산주의자들에 강력히 대항하기 위한 공격적인 남성성과 온순하고 가정적인 남성의 의무감 사이에 갇히게 되었으며, 화려하고 사치스러운 교외 문화에 순응함으로써는 찾기 어려운 남성성 때문에 정신적 무력감에 빠지게 되었다. 치버의 단편소설 속 남성 캐릭터들은 교외 사회 속 남성성의 위기에 대처하는 방식에 따라 크게 세 가지 유형으로 나뉜다. 본문의 1장에서는 실패한 아버지이자, 온순한 가장의 역할을 거부하고 전통적인 가장의 강인한 남성성을 추구하는 첫 번째 유형의 남성 캐릭터들을 살펴본다. 그러나 이들의 강한 남자다움은 오직 그들의 상상 속에서만 존재하고, 그 상상이 깨진 후 그들은 결국 파괴적인 결말을 맞이하게 된다. 반면에 2장에서는 헌신적이고 가정적인 남성 캐릭터들을 다룬다. 이러한 캐릭터들은 잠시나마 무력감에서 벗어나기 위해 일탈을 시도하지만, 결국 자신의 교외 가정의 품으로 돌아오고 가족에게 충성을 다한다. 마지막 3장에서는 교외 문화를 비방하고 자신의 정체성을 스스로 찾을 것임을 주장하는 세 번째 유형의 남성 캐릭터들을 살펴본다. 이 캐릭터들은 당대 남성들이 교외 문화 속에 존재하는 규범에 순응하는 것을 사실상 거부할 수 있음을 보여 주고, 당대 남성들이 남성성에 대한 정의를 스스로 규정함으로써 남성성을 찾을 수 있음을 시사한다.; This thesis examines the male characters of John Cheever’s short stories with regard to the crisis of masculinity of the twentieth-century America. Cheever’s male characters typify the white-middle class suburbanites of the time, whose problematic masculinity became a main issue in the postwar society. It is believed that the crisis of masculinity was mainly rooted in the ideological dichotomy of politics, the corporate environment, and the domesticated home culture. Indeed, during the Cold War era, manhood was excessively employed in the political ideology against Communism, and fathers became the epitome of manhood who were forced to spend more and preserve the affluent home culture so as to embody the virtue of capitalism. Consequently, men were caught between the concept of aggressive manliness to stay strong against communists and the obligation of family man, which made them feel emotional emasculation, since it was hard for them to find masculinity by conforming to the sumptuous culture of the suburb. In terms of this manhood in crisis, Cheever’s male characters are divided into three main types by how they react to the crisis of masculinity in their suburban communities. The first group of male characters is the failed father and pursues the traditional masculinity of strong patriarch, refusing the roles of docile family man. However, their strong figures only exist in daydreams, and they result in having destructive endings after waking up from the illusions. The second type, on the other hand, embodies the devoted family man. Even though they have small aberrations to break out of the emotional inertia, these characters eventually return to their suburban homes and remain loyal to their families. The third type denounces the suburban culture and claims to build his own identity. These characters show that men can actually deny conforming to the suburban norms and find manhood by creating their own definition of masculinity.