The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2003

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Preface-Chapter 2

Chapters 3-5

Chapters 6-8

Chapters 9-11

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Index of Terms

Feminism

The term “feminism” represents a variety of sociopolitical movements that seek to establish equality for the sexes. In the US, the first wave of feminism in the 19th and early-20th centuries focused primarily on women’s suffrage. The second-wave, which began in the 1960s, emphasized causes such as women’s lack of fulfillment as wives and homemakers, their attainment of equal rights in the workplace, reproductive rights, domestic violence, and the critique of patriarchy. As a Black queer feminist, hooks pointed out that racism, anti-gay bias, and elitism were inherent in this phase’s centering of white, straight, middle- and upper-class women. She helped broaden the scope of US feminism to include those who previously felt excluded from it, including men. hooks also argued that feminist movements too often place singular attention on women without recognizing men’s need for feminist reform or their own victimization by patriarchy. This argument is the core purpose of The Will to Change.

Feminist Masculinity

Unlike patriarchal masculinity, feminist masculinity maintains that strength in men is characterized by caring for and loving others. Feminist masculinity provides an alternative to patriarchal masculinity. Rather than rejecting masculinity altogether, hooks suggests that feminist masculinity does not require a denial of emotions and of the self. Instead, it allows men to continue to perform masculine roles but in a richer way that encourages mutuality in their relationships and eschews the violence, power imbalance, and sexual aggression of patriarchal models for men. In this model of masculinity, women must become comfortable with men’s expressions of vulnerability and work with them to build relationships that are not simply equal but also involve sharing emotional and physical burdens.

Patriarchy

“Patriarchy” refers to the social structure that places men in a position of power and domination. hooks argues that American culture is inherently patriarchal and that this social structure is damaging to all sexes. Patriarchal structures sustain gender roles in which men are expected to be emotionally closed off, authoritarian, and physically dominant, while women are submissive, compliant, and viewed as the weaker sex. hooks shows that capitalism relies upon this structure by promoting a model of men as breadwinners who should gain satisfaction and fulfillment through their work; however, this is often untrue, particularly for lower- and middle-income men, and their frustration in the workplace often provokes greater emotional pain, frustration, and even violence. hooks posits that patriarchy ultimately harms everyone, and US media sustain this system.

Patriarchal Masculinity

Patriarchal masculinity is distinguished in hooks’s writing from “feminist masculinity.” Patriarchal masculinity characterizes men as dominating and aggressive, and it teaches them to suppress their emotions. Instead, they are expected to be physically strong and sexually aggressive. The author cites these beliefs as lying at the root of patriarchy’s less severe punishment of rape as compared to other crimes, since men are at the mercy of their urges, and even as a cause of child sexual abuse. She cites The Incredible Hulk as a media model of patriarchal masculinity: Hulk is presented as a superhero who transforms into an uncontrollable rage-filled creature but has no memory of or accountability for the behaviors he commits as his alter ego once he burns off his anger and returns to himself. hooks shows that from birth, males are more likely to be ignored when they cry, as their parents attempt to train the child to “tough it out.” She also highlights the ways in which women sustain patriarchal masculinity; women who are abused by men often project their anger onto their sons.