Societal Expectations and Mens Expression of Emotions - Essay Example

Societal Expectations and Men’s Expression of Emotions Stephen Crane’s Open Boat and O’ Brien’s The Things They Carried are representations of fictitious characters who are sailors and soldiers respectively. The authors provide their accounts based on some of their life experiences. These include; Crane’s experience at the sea where he nearly drowned, and O’brien’s experiences as a soldier enlisted to fight for his country. Both authors address various themes in their books, however, of all the themes; death prevails and persists throughout the book. Therefore, authors deal with the subject of men expressing their emotions towards death and the society’s view of these emotions. This essay analyses these views and the harm, which emanates from the suppression of emotions. It also attempts to showcase the stand of the authors regarding the issue under discussion by comparing and contrasting their stands showcased in their literal works. This happens through the analysis of their characters and themes used in their plots (O'Brien 119). An analysis of the authors’ background information reveals the zeitgeist or spirit of the times in which these authors lived in. This helps to put their writings into perspective when analyzing characters used in their novels. The authors’ works pinpoint the role played by different factors, which affected people living in specific eras, for example, culture, war among others. These factors influenced people’s behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. This helped to explain societal expectations in relation to these factors. For example, society held men with higher regard compared to women. Therefore, societal expectations outlined the desirable traits every man ought to possess. As a result, men involved themselves in activities, suitable to the traits ascribed to them. Therefore, individuals had no choice other than carrying out the set out duties while preserving the traits ascribed to them. For example, men bravely went to war or sea expeditions without showcasing any fear if things went badly. These influences played a crucial role in influencing the authors’ portrayal of their characters in their novels (Collela 170). All around the world, culture continues to mold people’s perspectives on issues surrounding their lives. Meaning, culture affects an individual’s emotions, feelings, and thoughts. From a particularly early age, the socialization of children occurs in every society via agents of socialization, for example, peers, media and family among others. As a result, children are able to learn about their society’s cultural expectations. Defiance of these expectations translates into disgrace. In addition, culture defines the role played by people within the society (Crane 145). Division of labor occurs on the basis of gender and age. Furthermore, the ascription of certain qualities or traits also happens simultaneously with the assigning of roles. For instance, most cultures expect men to be the breadwinners and protectors of their families; therefore, these roles must be accompanied by traits which portray dominance. These traits include bravery, strength and, courage among others. In relation to the two books, men’s emotional reactions towards death must portray strength and lack of fear despite constant exposure to harmful conditions. The male characters in both books do not show fear when faced with fateful situations. Instead, they encourage each other and remain brave throughout the dangerous situations. For example, in Crane’s novel, Crane’s fictitious doppelganger recites a verse from Caroline Norton’s “Bingen on the Rhine" poem. The verse served the purpose of encouraging fellow comrades during the fateful situation in which they crew was in (O’brien 176). From a psychological perspective, the inability to express emotions leads to a psychologically unhealthy individual. This is because of the destructive state of these bottled up emotions. Psychologists agree on the harm, which arises from suppressed emotions. Therefore, they posit that individuals need to express themselves if they hope to attain any sense of normalness in their lives. This is because suppressed emotions cause psychological, physiological and social problems. Psychological problems include; depression, extreme forms of anxiety and aggression among other things whereas; physiological problems include somatic ailments, which might be fatal in the end. Finally, individuals suffering from the suppression of emotions; do not know how to relate socially with other people (Crane 115). This, therefore, leads to disintegration of social relationships. Illustrations from the text attest to these psychological findings. These include; O’brien, the main character in The Things They Carried, struggles with his inability to express guilt. O’brien, therefore, undergoes tumultuous times as he travels finally finding solace in expressing himself through writing. Other characters mentioned throughout the book also deal with the emotions arising from the certainty of impending death as these characters engage in war. They reminisce on experiences, for example, romantic encounters. These memories help them keep it together throughout the dangerous situations they find themselves exposed. Crane’s characters find themselves facing similar situations as these characters struggle to stay alive after their boat capsized. Through the men talking about their lives and experiences, they began to empathize with each other. However, they still remain composed throughout their ordeal despite encouraging each other. Therefore, from the characters mentioned above, it is clear that socialization influences the way these men relate to each other especially when facing dangerous situations. They all seem to remain composed and avoid portraying emotions, which showcase weakness, for example, fear, and, love (Halliburton 126). In conclusion, both authors put a lot of emphasis on the impact of societal expectations on men’s expression of emotions while performing their duties. They both portray the influence of societal expectations through their characters behavior towards fateful situations like war and drowning. However, the authors criticize society’s ways of socializing men to be individuals who do not showcase emotions of weakness. O’brien and Crane expose society’s impact on the behavior of men especially when faced with the possibility of certain death. The fact that the characters in their books attempt to portray some emotions, for example, empathy goes a long way in showing the authors’ stand on the issue under discussion. Therefore, it becomes clear that suppression of emotions leads to unhealthy individuals, and the only way of ensuring individuals remain healthy, involves the expression of emotions. Societies ought to embrace this, and not condemn men who express their emotions (Collela 77). Works Cited Colella, Jill. CliffsNotes on O'Brien's The Things They Carried. Carlifornia: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Print Crane, Stephen. The Open Boat and Other Tales of Adventure (Mobi Classics). New York: MobileReference, 2010. Print Halliburton, David. The Color of the Sky: A Study of Stephen Crane. New Jersey: Cambridge University Press, 2008. Print O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. Print Read More