Examples Of Hypermasculinity In Literature

Hypermasculinity is a huge aspect of each piece of literature and film that we read and watched in class. The men in these portrayals are often time shown as nonrealistic versions of men and driven purely by sexual desire, vengeance, power and greed. With this idea of hypermasculinity, the women that are shown in the literature that we have read are often made to be submissive, ‘innocent’, pure and are taught how to be silent in the presence of a male, putting their needs and dreams on the backburner for the sake of a man’s wants. In this essay, I will discuss what hypermasculinity is, how it is prevalent in what we have read in class by examples and why it is a dangerous and impractical to write characters in this way or follow these ideas in real life. Hypermasculinity is defined as “an exaggeration of traditionally masculine traits or behaviour”(‘Definition of Hypermasculine’). Masculine behavior can be defined as aggression, sexual aggression, violence, control, competition and power (Ling).

In the short narrative, “Zero”, we are introduced to a utopian (or dystopian) society that builds on efficiency and classes. Even though this story is not close to being realistic, the sanction of hypermasculinity is. The whole plot of this short story is centered around a man named Xi De and how he begins to work his way up socioeconomically and eventually meet his downfall in the same respects. This tale is one that focuses on the constant moving work place, and once Xi De starts failing in work, he is considered a “failed man” (Fan) compared to what he was when he was working in the central city and making tons of money. This is an example of hypermasculinity because it expresses the concern of power and wealth in a way that is an intense and an unrealistic portrayal of