Waiting is a two-way thing, you either meet it or you don't. High expectations are often not met and for men, not meeting certain high expectations has a negative effect on them. The feeling of inadequacy is a negative effect and in the short stories "Shiloh" by Bobbie Ann Mason and "Woman Hollering Creek" by Sandra Cisneros, the male characters Leroy and Juan Pedro had similar and different ways of coping, but Leroy n was not as effective. like Juan Pedro, trapped by expectations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayLeroy failed to fulfill his role as a man/provider after his trucking incident. Leroy began working on mini craft projects, sewing and fantasizing about building a log house for Norma Jean thinking it would satisfy her. It was a way for him to compensate for his feelings of inadequacy as a man. In the story it says: “In the meantime, he makes things from DIY kits. He started by building a miniature log cabin out of notched Popsicle sticks. He varnished it and placed it on the television, where it remains. » (Mason 1) Leroy was traumatized from the trucking incident and he didn't want to go back to trucking but instead he stayed at home working on useless DIY projects. projects that self-destruct. Not only did he waste time doing trivial things around the house, but he was obsessed with building a log house for Norma Jean, his wife. On page 1 of “Shiloh,” it says, “I’m going to build you this house,” Leroy said. I want to make you a real home. I don't want to live in a log cabin. It's not a cabin. It's a house. I don't care. It looks like a cabin. You and I could lift these logs together. It's like lifting weights. Norma Jean does not respond. Leroy thinks that building Norma Jean's log house will revive the relationship and satisfy her, but he is unaware of what is deteriorating the relationship and what really matters. Men are supposed to be providers, it's a traditional idea that still exists in many families and cultures, but Leroy doesn't realize that he has lost himself and his responsibilities as a man since the accident. The accumulation of emotions and frustrations in Juan Pedro is the result of waiting for his origin. All these emotions have repercussions on Cleofilas, his wife who must endure them in order to compensate for her feeling of incapacity. The author writes: "Or I kinda wonder when he kicks the refrigerator and says he hates this shitty house and goes out where he won't be bothered by the screaming baby and his suspicious questions” (Cisneros 406). Juan Pedro to work hard and provide for the family. This specific gender norm leads men like Juan Pedro to be so frustrated and angry every time as shown in the quote above. Juan Pedro was also physically violent towards Cleofilas and in the story it says: “But when the time came, he slapped her once, then again and again; until the lip split and bled an orchid of blood, she did not resist, she did not burst into tears, she did not flee as she imagined seeing such things in the telenovelas. Pedro's accumulation of frustrations and feelings of inadequacy were the result of high masculine expectations in his culture and taking out his emotions on his wife was a means of coping and compensation. Readers can alsoinfer that the physical violence inflicted on Cleofilas was a means of asserting male domination to remind us that Juan Pedro was still a man. In the stories, Leroy compensated for his feelings of inadequacy by taking up worthless hobbies and dreaming of building a log house. While Juan Pedro lashes out and abuses his wife, they also compensated for their feelings of inadequacy by seeking support from others, which is a similarity in which the two share characters. In “Woman Hollering Creek” it says: “She couldn't think of anything to say, didn't say anything. Just caress the dark curls of the man who cried and would cry like a child, his tears of repentance and shame, this time and every time. » (Cisneros 405) Juan Pedro cried in Cleofila's arms after hitting her because he felt guilty for what he did it and also because he needed her emotional support. Men are often seen as strong and emotionless, but when they show emotion or cry, it usually means they have been through a lot and need emotional support from those close to them. Leroy didn't cry in Norma Jeans' arms but he seeks emotional support from others. In the story, Leroy can be seen often asking other people's opinions on his plan to build a log house. In “Shiloh” it is written: “My goal is to build myself a log house as soon as I have time. My wife, however, I don't think she likes the idea. Well let me know when you want me again, Stevie said. Throughout the story, Leroy often seems to bring up the log house project to people, which makes him seem desperate for support. This is what Leroy and Juan Pedro have in common: they seek support from others in order to feel better about their feelings of inadequacy. Both Leroy and Juan Pedro are men who feel inadequate as a man, but Juan Pedro is definitely more trapped/pressured by his cultures had gender specific expectations, as in "Woman Hollering Creek", Cleofilas was seen as the typical housewife and Juan Pedro was the typical husband who is the sole provider for the family. On the other hand, Leroy stayed at home and did nothing to contribute to the needs of the family of two while Norma Jean worked at the pharmacy and took several courses to improve her life. In "Woman Hollering Creek" it says: "and her demands to fix this and this and that because if she had a little brain in her head she'd realize he got up before the rooster and that he earned his living to pay for the food in his belly. and the roof over her head and she would have to wake up early the next day, so why can't you leave me in peace, woman. Leroy, for his part, does just the opposite. Even after Norma Jean tried to encourage him to go out and get a good paying job, something that wasn't trucking, he would refuse with excuses and go back to working on his mini projects and doing whatever a woman would do. It says in “Shiloh,” “Things you could do,” she announces. You could get a job as a guard at Union Carbide, where they let you sit on a stool. You could continue at the sawmill. You could do a little carpentry work, if you want to build so much. You could..., I can't do something that would require me to be on my feet all day.'” Leroy makes excuses not to work and stay at home while Juan Pedro gets up early in the morning to work. This shows that Juan Pedro is more responsible and he is trying to fulfill his..