James Dang: The expectation to perform when necessary

            In the essay, “Hunting Years”, Tom Franklin talks about his past and how it relates to his understanding of being a man. As a teenager, Tom lived in a southern family in Alabama where hunting was known as the rite of passage to leave his life as a pussy in order to be a man. In order for Tom to become a man, he had to kill his first deer. A task he did not complete until after his younger brother had so. As a son of a father who is well known for being an excellent hunter of turkey, the burden to live up to the expectation of his family and as well as the community weighted greatly on his shoulders. As human beings, we desire to socialize and to never be isolated from one another. Therefore, Tom in his life had to be able to kill his first deer just as how his brother had already done so. The way that gender is displayed in Tom’s past is an excruciating experience. In a sense, in order to leave the hell that he is living in, he has to perform with what society orders him to do or be branded as an outcast. Thus by becoming a man, Tom changes everyone’s perspective on himself as a person who could not show his distinct side, but rather, the side everyone desires. This change is seen when he had to forgo his love for dolls and had to eventually hunt in order to gain his acceptance to society.

            In the essay, “Confession of a Failed Southern Lady, Florence King discusses the past of her family and how gender changes a person’s attitude in certain situations. For example, King’s mother is a 9^th generation Virginian lady who does appear to look like a model for femininity. However, she behaves more masculine when she has the chance to so such as in the confines of her home. Yet, because of the role of gender, humans must behave as of their apparent sex. In one case, Florence’s mother goes to a party where she is forced to act like an appropriate women. In this scenario she cannot show her true self to others and must live up to the expectations of being a feminine women such as Evelyn.  As a result, genders grasp on behavior is transparent still in our society and will continue to keep us molded to what is expected of us.