How Cultural Expectations Affect Both Men And Women

The life of being an average male human is extremely difficult. If you don’t make enough money or don’t know how to change a tire, everyone immediately looks down on you as a disappointment. You are constantly fighting the uphill battle of being expected to care for women, but not care too much or appear unmasculine. Gender expectations have become increasingly rigid, pressuring men into feeling forced to fit into them. There is evidence of this in our literature as well. While most stories involve a main character breaking out of his/her expected role, like Katniss or Tris from The Hunger Games and the Divergent series’ respectively, some authors take a more realistic approach. James Joyce’s unnamed narrator in his short story Araby and†¦show more content†¦That is why when the three girls walk in, Sammy is immediately drawn to them. Some may argue that Sammy is solely attracted to the girls for their looks, just like any other teenage boy. His d escriptions of them seem very prepubescent, yet they are incredibly in depth. By comparing Sammy to the other AP employees, the butcher and Stokesie, a moral line is drawn between the two. Stokesie and the butcher are clearly ogling the girls for the youth and beauty. While he was attracted to them physically, there was something more there for Sammy. Through them he sees the better world for himself that he had desired for so long. Porter addresses this in his article by reviewing Sammy’s description of the â€Å"Kingfish Fancy Herring Snacks† as symbols of â€Å"men in ‘ice-cream coats’† and â€Å"women in sandals picking up herring snacks on toothpicks†(Porter 3). Sammy craves a life of excitement and adventure unlike the dull one he is stuck in, and the girls are a refreshing change of pace from the average AP shoppers. Porter describes Lengal as â€Å"the Voice of The Establishment†(Porter 4) during his soft berating of the girls, which clarifies Sammy’s irrational decision to quit. He had formed an unspoken bond with the girls and saw his opportunity