Cowboy by Thomas McGuane: how do American Perceptions of Ideal Hero Relate to Ideas of Masculinity - Essay Example

?Introduction The United s is highly known competitive country with highly diversified culture. According to Hofstede, a country having a culture like this has high level of masculinity impact (Soonthornsawad 22). Indeed, America is known to be male-dominated society, the very proof is its consistent reliance on the power of man to lead and even to be relied on as the one worthy to be given with the highest authority in the state. We may be oblivious about it, but this level of trust given to man is commonly portrayed in various movie films. American perceptions of an ideal hero can be depicted in various comic books which include the name of Batman, Spiderman, Superman and other legendary superheroes. Today, they come to life in many high-calibrated movie films. However, they do not just come alive in these movie films, but they are perfect portrayal of the American way of viewing masculinity. Such vision of masculinity can also be viewed within the cowboy culture. This paper tries to discuss how American perceptions of an ideal hero relate to our common ideas of masculinity, and how this vision is portrayed in the fiction “Cowboy” written by Thomas McGuane. Cowboy The cowboy culture is known for being able to outlaw violence, possess physical prowess, and self-made success (Flood 114). These all reveal the classic views of American masculinity which correspondingly are depicted in movie films that try to emphasize the supernatural powers of superheroes. In fact, the main themes of these films significantly show substantial level of information on the main characters’ way of outlawing violence, and obtaining physical prowess and self-made success. The violence for instance is a perfect portrayal of an evil act and overcoming it is such a good gesture which is highly commendable by the society. Outlawing of violence requires substantial amount of power, energy and something to that effect in the same way with obtaining physical prowess and self-made success. All these characteristics are viewed to be a “must possess” by men in a society where there is strong importance given to competitiveness which is one of the indicators of masculinity based on Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimension. This scenario is perfectly portrayed in the fiction “Cowboy” by Thomas McGuane. “…and they had it positioned by the door of the barn so it’d be convenient for the hired man to stagger out at all hours and fight breech births and scours and any other disorder sent us by cow gods. We had some doozies. One heifer got pregnant and her calf was near as big as she was. Had to reach in with a saw and take it out in pieces” (McGuane 2). This entirely depicts the picture of how the cowboys invest their time in trying to save life and stand on their ground when a need for their strength and time arises. When push comes to shove, they are to maximize their strength, come up with initiative and understand that everything counts within a specified time. This is one of the common scenarios found in ranches by an animal herder such as the cowboys in the story. They also are normally not distracted by various mishaps in life, rather their ultimate vision is about moving on. “Only mishap was when the manure spreader threw a rock and knocked me senseless and I drove the rig into an irrigation ditch. The old sumbitch never said a word but chained up and pulled us out with his Ford” (2). This scene in the story depicts the remarkable attitude possessed by the old lady’s brother, a cowboy, towards moving on. Without a word, he did what he believed is appropriate and no amount of words for blames was uttered. It depicts how man is expected to prove himself in the midst of situations where what is only required is his physical strength and strong conviction to face certain situation in order to move on. There was no turning back, but the ultimate way is to move forward, go find for solution, look out for the best move and implement it, “…never said a word but chained up and pulled us out with his Ford” (2). Another important characteristic that cowboys possessed in the story is their ability to pay help in the midst of needs. “A cow can put her tongue anywhere in a tire and get what she needs, and you can drag one of them flat things with your horse if you need to move it” (McGuane 3). This depicts the potential of the cowboy to be always on the go to extend their helping hand. In the same way, one of the common characteristics among superheroes from renowned movie films is their ability to extend their helping hands when a need for them arises. This is only perfectly implemented by possessing authority and power over certain things. A cowboy riding on horseback is a perfect portrayal of authority and power just prior to extending their helping hands in attending to the needs of the herds. This depicts another essence of a masculine behavior; there is authority and power over something else. Superman could not potentially extend his helping hand without his ability to defy the norm of gravity and fly. In the same way, the cowboys in the story could only maximize their masculine behavior and productivity by being able to show their dexterity on horseback riding. This further implies that a masculine behavior is always exerted in tough times with significant level of authority and power especially in the midst of needs when a man is expected to extend his helping hands. In this illustration, there is a strong link between heroic act and the masculine behavior, which all of them can entirely be portrayed within the role usually played by a cowboy. The cowboys in the story also have the characteristic of looking ahead as a way to protect others from certain mishaps. “’The ground’s no good. We’re movin’. So we spent the summer building a new corral way off down the creek. When we’s finished, he says, ‘I meant to do this when I got back from overseas and now it’s finished and I’m practically done for, too. Whoever gets the place next will be glad his calves don’t shit themselves into the next world like mine done’” (McGuane 5). This is another portrayal of a man’s ability to look out on certain things ahead of time. However, there is also a hint of heroic act in this case, “…Whoever gets the place next will be glad his calves don’t shit themselves into the next world like mine done” (5). As stated earlier, the United States is known to be highly competitive country according to Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimension. Such competitiveness is further emphasized as a manifestation in a masculine-dominated culture. The United States is always looking at certain situations ahead of time and this is to ensure competitiveness of its economy, its status in the world and the well-being of its people in a general sense. Thus, the entire approach of the United States in its governance is not just a way of showing a perfect heroic act intended for its people, but there is a strong spirit of masculinity in its style because it is centered on achieving competitive advantage. Conclusion Cowboy is a representation of a masculine behavior, power, authority and strength. These various representations are integral parts of every society that rely on the strong power and heroic capacity of a man. The United States for instance possessed all of these characteristics and it is not only showing them as they are, but uses them as a way to extend its heroic act for its people. References Flood, Michael. International encyclopedia of men and masculinities. New York, NY: Routledge, 2007. McGuane, Thomas. Cowboy. [online]. Available from: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/09/19/050919fi_fiction, 2005. [Accessed 25th October 2011]. Soonthornsawad, Pivachat. Cultures and genetic markers as predictors of communication apprehension. Ann Arbor, Michigan: ProQuest, 2009. Read More