Masculinity In Soldier's Home

In comparison to “The Necklace”, the portrayals of men in “Soldier’s Home” are used to deduce that a hierarchical relationship between two genders exists. It strengthens sexism in the text through the traits of male characters. The qualities of men in this text are associated with violence and aggression. This is because the male in this text is depicted as dominant over female and authoritative in both society and house. Everything revolves around Krebs, who is the only male character present in “Soldier’s Home”. It puts Krebs in the higher hierarchy, which allows men to take control of women with a dominating power. All of the men, including Krebs’ grandfather, father and peers are featured heroic and brave. For instance, Krebs is “still

The way she delivers the father’s message is to emphasize his father’s patriarchal and authoritative figure at the highest position in the hierarchy of that family. When finding out Krebs folding his father’s favorite newspaper, she advises him not to “muss up the paper” because “his father can’t read his Star if it’s been mussed” (Hemingway, 2), which identifies that she is obligated to look after male’s belongings as well as her family. They convey the implicit message about their hierarchical relationships between male and female: Men are the center of a house and society, implying their possession of authority that imposes on women. Therefore, women are portrayed as a slave to men and unspoken hierarchy in their environment. The absence of hierarchical relationships between genders in “The Necklace” does not devalue a female. It helps portray the male in “The Necklace” in the manner of a gentleman figure. However, since the hierarchy primarily exists in Krebs’ house and society, men are portrayed at a higher position than women to determine female