The Dark Side of MasculinityMany would say that in modern society, women are expected to occupy narrow and unreasonable roles in Company. However, in "Being a Man" by Paul Theroux, Theroux writes about the rigid expectations placed on men by society to conform to a narrow, inflexible definition of "manliness" that stifles men's true personalities and forces them to allow themselves to be restricted by society’s definition of “manliness.” a masculinity that requires them to downplay their own intelligence or exaggerate their perceived masculinity through physical outlets, for fear of appearing too weak or “soft.” Theroux argues that even in the post-feminist period in which he wrote his essay, men, especially young boys and adolescents, are forced into this rigid and narrow definition of what being a man is supposed to be. Theroux notes that the feminist movement essentially allowed her to write this article because feminism allowed women to fight for equality and highlight all of society's failures in defining what it means to be a woman. Theroux was now similarly able to make a decision. Stand up and write about all the restrictive definitions of masculinity in society, which he accomplishes in his essay through his use of asyndetons, diction, and anaphora. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essayTheroux writes that the average "manly" attitude toward high school sports that most boys express is a recipe for " creating bad marriages, moral degenerates, sadists, latent rapists, and just plain thugs” (177). Theroux's use of the asyndeton by omitting the use of "and" between these examples of undesirable personality traits allows the reader to understand that all of these characteristics are related and are all collectively instilled in boys as they become men under the influence of “manliness” that they are forced to adopt from a very young age and then integrate into themselves as part of who they are. This example shows that by forcing men and boys to strive for certain goals, such as aspiring to be in peak physical shape or to become star athletes, society is inadvertently forcing them to become some of the worst examples of what men can be, instead of being healthy. -rounded and gentlemanly individuals, due to the extreme emphasis placed on them on physical performance. Theroux further points out that society's definition of "manliness" is contrary to what it means to be a good person in the modern world when he states that the "quest for manhood" is "essentially right-wing, puritanical, cowardly." , neurotic and largely fueled by fear of women” (177). Theroux's use of diction here is helpful in understanding how detrimental the traditional definition of masculinity is to men. “Puritan” often refers to a person who is very rigid in their moral or religious beliefs, while “neurotic” usually refers to mental instability. By using these specific words, Theroux shows that society's definition of "manliness" is extremely narrow and outdated in its "puritanical" beliefs, while also being "neurotic" in its unrealistic expectations of the roles men are supposed to be. fulfill within society. Theroux continues to assert that being "manly" is a terrible, narrow, and outdated idea that forces men to be less than.