Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Assignment #12: Explore the implications and subtleties of the conversation with Mr. Hadley. What does he say about “manhood” (see what he says about the G.I.’s) and how does he feel about Brinker and Gene’s involvement in the war effort? (198-200). (Quinn)
During Mr. Hadley’s conversation, he brings up some essential points of being a man. He implies a lot in his discussion with the boys about what it’s like to be a man. Before the boys graduated, Devon rented out their Common quadrangle to the military for a parachute riggers’ school. After Mr. Hadley finds out that men are the ones at the school he says, “I can’t imagine any man in my time settling for duty on a sewing machine. I can’t picture that at all”(Knowles 198). After he continues with “But then times change, and wars change. But men don’t change, do they?”(Knowles 198). The two main subtleties in the quote are when he says “in my time” and “men don’t change.” What is subtle about what he is saying is that he believes that men shouldn't be settling for not fighting in combat and should be like the men of the past and that his definition of being a man shouldn't change through all of the generations. Mr. Hadley is not very fond of the boys’ decisions and believes they should in enlist in the G.I.’s because they would be serving in combat like real men. His comments make the boys feel bad about their decision to either enlist in the Coast Guard or wait for the draft, and they feel like lesser men, but they realize that they are smarter because they have seen what happened to Leper. When Brinker says, “the Coast Guard does some very rough stuff” (Knowles 199) he is justifying the Coast Guard’s involvement in the war as an attempt to make his dad feel better about his decision. After what Brinker says to his father (Mr. Hadley) it is clear that he does not worry about the boys coming back dead or damaged, but he does worry about them being ashamed that they didn’t serve on the frontlines with “some real shooting going on”(Knowles 199). Mr. Hadley believes that real men are required to serve on the frontlines and that the boys are wrong to enlist in the Coast Guard or wait for the draft.
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I totally agree with what you said about Brinker's dad thinking that Gene and Brinker aren't being real men. When Brinker's dad says " I can’t imagine any man in my time settling for duty on a sewing machine. I can’t picture that at all” (Knowles 198), this shows that Brinker's dad has a different perception of manhood, and for him part of that manhood is fighting on the front lines like you said.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Mr. Hadley does not approve of Gene and Brinker's enlistments in the war. Mr. Hadley is very unlike other characters, for example, Leper in A Separate Peace. Mr. Hadley lives through the war and takes great pride of his role in it. He even goes so far as to say “ old guys like me -- we’re all darn jealous of you too” (Knowles, 200). Implying that Mr. Hadley wants to take part in the war. I think Mr. Hadley takes so much pride in his role in World War I because it shows his manliness. The war has shaped Mr. Hadley’s life and he wants it to be the same way for Brinker and Gene as it was for him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Rohan and Cordelia. I think that Mr.Hadley likes the idea of the boys enlisting, but he doesn't like the idea of them joining the army and doing more than necessary. When Brinker said “we’ll do what we have to"(Knowles), his father was not pleased. He replied by saying that that was not a good answer and that if he ever wanted to be proud of his military record, he would have to do more than just "what [they] have to do". He wants the boys to be successful in the army and wants them to be proud of themselves.
ReplyDeleteI agree in that Brinkers father and Gene and brinkers definition and perspective of what it is and means to be a man are different. Not only what they perceive of what it means but how they view eachother as them or not. It is clear that Mr. Hadley beleives that Gene and Brinker are far from men, just because they didn't enlist in the war? In Mr. Hadleys mind if your not ready to fight for your life in battle than your not a "man". " I can't imagine any man in my time settling for duty on a sewing machine"(Knowles 198).
ReplyDeleteI agree with rohan's comment with the quote, " I can’t imagine any man in my time settling for duty on a sewing machine. I can’t picture that at all” (Knowles 198). I think brinker's dad does have a different perception of manhood but i also don't think you have to be tough to be a man. If you are sweing for the army i think you should still have honor because alot of people won't want to do it because it have to do with the army. I think just the fact that you are serving the country is being a man.
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