Masculinity in Caribbean Literature

 

 Quickened pulses, raised voices, shouts of dissent and nods of agreement are the reactions that conversations on masculinity are usually met with. Suffice to say, masculinity is a hotly debated topic. The Oxford Dictionary defines masculinity as , “a set of qualities, characteristics or roles generally considered typical of, or appropriate to, a man” (796). Masculinity, whether we agree or not, has always been present in Caribbean discourse. Men and women alike have ,unintentionally or otherwise, given their own definition of masculinity by their words. Earl Lovelace’s The Dragon Can’t Dance and Samuel Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners imply that masculinity in the Caribbean can be characterized by one’s reaction to women, one’s ability to get a woman and men as providers. 

Earl Lovelace implies that masculinity is hinged on a man’s reaction to a woman as well as his ability to acquire a woman in the first place. In the first instance, Lovelace presents, in The Dragon Can’t Dance, the protagonist of the novel, Aldrick. His name means ‘wise ruler’ but Aldrick is far from that. However, Prospect, his last name, means “the possibility or likelihood of some future event occurring” (Oxford 1029). This last name is fitting and very much prophetic. Lovelace opens his narration on Aldrick by revealing that he is an aristocrat in the tradition of “Laziness and Waste”(Lovelace 11). The novel states of Aldrick, “not knowing where his next meal was coming from, would get up at midday from sleep, yawn, stretch, then start to think of where he might get something to eat” (Lovelace 11). These actions come as a disappointment since the blood of “Maroons, as Runways, as Bush Negroes, as Rebels” (10) who are considered to be the epitome of the masculine flow through him. His father’s blood seems to be the dilution that altered this inheritance since Aldrick’s lifestyle is an imitation of his father’s. Lewis  states that Aldrick’s father, Sam Prospect, had “a conviction that his manhood was somehow bound up with this idea of freedom” (166). Although Aldrick is considered lazy and without direction, he is well respected and liked by his neighbors. The reason for this is the same one that causes him to quicken his cruising crawl “only at Carnival” (Lovelace 11). He was not concerned for anything “except his dragon costume that he prepared for his masquerade on Carnival day” (Lovelace 31). The importance of this costume transcends competition and recognition to Aldrick. Lewis explains “the Dragon is a construction and extension of his identity as a man” (169). The Dragon symbolizes strength, power, respect, admiration of his community as well as his History. His claim to fame is being the Dragon man. This was enough for Aldrick until he was confronted by the ‘waters’ of Sylvia. The website TntIsland stated,

The Dragon is the fire-beast from hell, coming to earth as a bringer of destruction. Dancing through the streets, the aim of the “Dragon Dance” is to captivate and frighten its audience. However, when the Dragon is unfortunate enough to come across a pool of water in the road, then the real dance begins. Water or holy water being of heaven leaves the Dragon in a state of frustration, he cannot ‘cross the water’ to continue on his journey. Instead his Imps, usually led by the King Imp, taunt him and finally the Dragon must dance in submission and then with much effort leap over the water in order to continue.

Aldrick’s journey to masculinity-as Lovelace describes it-can be likened to the dance of the dragon. In costume, he scares, breathes fire and inspires respect and awe from his onlookers but once he meets up with his ‘water,’ Sylvia, he is in a state of frustration. He cannot continue on the road that he was going on before because of the water in front of him but he cannot cross the water until he changes his strategy or thinking. Sylvia soon replaces the Dragon for monopoly of Aldrick’s thoughts. However, because of his insecurity, indecision and self doubt, he takes too long and Sylvia enters a relationship with the landlord, Guy. This leads to a series of actions and reactions that can be interpreted as an attempt to prove his masculinity to Sylvia,his community but even more to himself since the presence of Sylvia has caused him to re-evaluate himself against society’s constructs of masculinity. These events culminate with him winding up in jail. In jail, he does the ‘dance of submission’ and then with much effort, he leaps across the water to continue on his journey. He leaves jail a more contemplative, reflective and liberated person. He is more aware of himself and what he needs to be in order to be a true man. True to his masculine role, Lovelace shows the reader that Aldrick returns to claim his prize (Sylvia) and by doing so, he adds completion to her ‘empty’ life. Lovelace implies that the role of the man is to pursue the woman (by Aldrick’s thoughts when Sylvia propositions him), provide for her (Aldrick’s words when he said he cant take care of her) and complete her.

In Lonely Londoners, masculinity is characterized by the man’s ability to provide. The role of the man is to provide for the woman/ family like Tolroy did. Tolroy was working and decided to send for his mother so that she could live with them as well but upon her arrival, everyone came with her. “ “Oh God ma, why you bring all these people with you?’ ” (Selvon 30). Despite his first reluctance, Tolroy let his family stay in London with him. It is interesting that in this novel and even in The Dragon Can’t Dance, the man is not seen so much as protector but as a provider. Just as the roles of the women became evident with Tantie automatically becoming the housekeeper and Agnes doing cooking jobs, so to does the male role come out. Their role was to provide for their families and for themselves. If the man lived alone,he had to survive by any means. Since these immigrants were experiencing prejudice and cold-indifference in this land that they considered ‘Mother’ they projected their masculinity by surviving by any means, especially Cap. Things got so bad that Cap had to catch a pigeon in order to eat. Moses also had to survive by eating seagulls. Their masculinity was seen in their ability to survive  despite disappointment and unfavourable conditions. Selvon drags out this point of gloom and frustration from the first paragraph which reads,"One grim winter evening, when it had a kind of un-realness about London, with a fog sleeping restlessly over the city and the lights showing in the blur as if not London at all but some strange place on another planet”(Selvon 1) The ultimate goal for these men is not to find love or build happy families but to build themselves materially. In addition, Selvon implies that as immigrants they must stick together but even further-as men they must stick together. In this novel, one sees a community of men. Their motivations, ideas, challenges are all exposed as they move and interlock with each other more and more over the years. It is interesting to note how Selvon portray’s other relationships in the novel. Their marriages or even committed relationships are not a source of happiness and women and children are treated like objects.

Though time goes on and history changes, there is a continuous desire to define and refine the parameters that constitute masculinity. Disagreements are plentiful but those stop no one from giving their rendition of masculinity. Earl Lovelace suggests that masculinity is connected to a man’s reaction to a woman while Samuel Selvon implies that it is interwoven with the ability to provide. It is noteworthy that both novels did not emphasize the Man as the protector which is a pillar of hegemonic masculinity. These topics require a fluid and open mind. Therefore, in the words of Moses Aloetta, “Take it easy” (Selvon 43) because “Sometimes you does have to start thinking all over again when you feel you have things down the right way” (Selvon 45).

Works Cited

Lewis, Linden. “Masculinity and the Dance of the Dragon: Reading Lovelace     Discursively.” Feminist Review, No. 59, Rethinking Caribbean Difference (1998): pp.             164-185. Web. 2 April 2014.

Lovelace, Earl. The Dragon Can’t Dance. New York: Longman, 1979. Print

"Masculinity." The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. Print.

"Prospect." The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. Print.

Selvon, Samuel. The Lonely Londoners. London: Longman Drumbeat, 1984. Print.

The Dragon. Carnival Characters. TNTisland, n.d. Retrieved from      http://www.tntisland.com/carnivalcharacters.html Web. 1 Apr. 2014.