| Brewster Place Masculinity Analysis Chart (1) Ben | |
| Plot Summary (What happens first, second, then, next, after, finally) | Ben was a sharecropper in rural Tennessee with his grandparents. His grandfather dies when Ben was young and his grandmother dies when he’s seventeen, so he moves to Memphis and starts working small jobs there. He meets Elvira, the woman of his dream and decides to marry her; however, her doctor advises her to move out of the city for her health. They move back to the country and become sharecroppers again. They have a handicapped daughter. They aren’t doing well as sharecroppers, so they fight a lot. Elvira doesn’t do any work and complains, and they send their daughter to do housework for Mr. Clyde, the white landlord who ‘s land they are sharecroppers on. The story implies that Mr. Clyde is sexually assaulting their daughter. Ben wants to do something about it, but Elvira doesn’t care and wants to please Mr. Clyde. In the end, the daughter runs away and becomes a prostitute in Memphis. Elvira leaves Ben, and having lost his family, life, and dreams, he becomes an alcoholic. |
| Which of the “markers” of manhood do you see at work in this story? | Men aren’t supposed to show emotions Ben’s Grandpa’s mother slaps his for showing emotion at his sister’s funeral and tells him to “Shut your mouth. Be a man.”
Ben learns from his grandpa that men are silent and don’t show emotion.
Men should be powerful (provider) Men should dominate other men He’s not sexually powerful He not considered a full man because he’s black
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| Can Ben live up to the markers? Does He try? Is he successful? Why or why not? | No. He tries to take care of his family, but he’s a sharecropper. He lives in a rural area, so He didn’t have many employment option.
When Ben realized that his daughter was being rapped, he wanted to kill the man who was doing it, but if he did something about it they would lose everything and be more poor than they already were.
He also couldn’t do anything because he is black and he could have been murdered. His wife was more powerful than him. She bossed him around. |
| How do other people in the story view his “manliness” (there may be multiple people)? Why? | His Wife – see’s him as weak because he can’t provide. Only one child Mr. Clyde – sees him as inferior because he’s black and poor. And weak because he doesn’t stand up for himself. |
| How does Ben view his own manliness? How do you know? | He doesn’t feel like a full man. He can protect his family. He’s trying to do the best he can. |
| Basil | |
| Plot Summary (What happens first, second, then, next, after, finally) | |
| Which of the “markers” of manhood do you see at work in this story? | |
| Can Basil live up to the markers? Does He try? Is he successful? Why or why not? | |
| How do other people in the story view his “manliness” (there may be multiple people)? Why? | |
| How does Basil view his own manliness? How do you know? | |
| Eugene | |
| Plot Summary (What happens first, second, then, next, after, finally) | |
| Which of the “markers” of manhood do you see at work in this story? | |
| Can Eugene live up to the markers? Does He try? Is he successful? Why or why not? | |
| How do other people in the story view his “manliness” (there may be multiple people)? Why? | |
| How does Eugene view his own manliness? How do you know? | |
| Basil | |
| Plot Summary (What happens first, second, then, next, after, finally) | |
| Which of the “markers” of manhood do you see at work in this story? | |
| Can Basil live up to the markers? Does He try? Is he successful? Why or why not? | |
| How do other people in the story view his “manliness” (there may be multiple people)? Why? | |
| How does Basil view his own manliness? How do you know? | |
| Morland T. Woods | |
| Plot Summary (What happens first, second, then, next, after, finally) | |
| Which of the “markers” of manhood do you see at work in this story? | |
| Can Moreland live up to the markers? Does He try? Is he successful? Why or why not? | |
| How do other people in the story view his “manliness” (there may be multiple people)? Why? | |
| How does Moreland view his own manliness? How do you know? | |
| C.C. Baker | |
| Plot Summary (What happens first, second, then, next, after, finally) | |
| Which of the “markers” of manhood do you see at work in this story? | |
| Can C.C. live up to the markers? Does He try? Is he successful? Why or why not? | |
| How do other people in the story view his “manliness” (there may be multiple people)? Why? | |
| How does C.C. view his own manliness? How do you know? | |
| Abshu | |
| Plot Summary (What happens first, second, then, next, after, finally) | |
| Which of the “markers” of manhood do you see at work in this story? | |
| Can Abshu live up to the markers? Does He try? Is he successful? Why or why not? | |
| How do other people in the story view his “manliness” (there may be multiple people)? Why? | |
| How does Abshu view his own manliness? How do you know? | |
| The Barbershop – Greasy | |
| Plot Summary (What happens first, second, then, next, after, finally) | |
| Which of the “markers” of manhood do you see at work in this story? | |
| Can Greasy live up to the markers? Does He try? Is he successful? Why or why not? | |
| How do other people in the story view his “manliness” (there may be multiple people)? Why? | |
| How does Greasy view his own manliness? How do you know? | |