Masculinity In Banks's Lobster Night

In Russell Banks’s “Lobster Night,” violence wrongly interpreted as masculinity drives the cowardly and weak-minded into a state of delusion. People associate unrelenting strength, fearlessness, and boldness with the idea of manliness, fabricating an inaccurate representation of the male figure - as if all men ever want to do revolves around displaying their masculine nature. While this truthfully may be the case at times, it easily misconstrues the notion of an honorable man, influencing the naïve to believe the only way to portray real manhood involves excessive acts of bravery and determination, occasionally even using unnecessary force to verbally wound and/or inflict physical pain. Growing up with such an idea causes the mind to create excuses and false justifications, fooling itself into a warped version of reality. Dismissing all rational thoughts regarding the situation, Stacy manages to convince herself that Noonan’s vicious acts of murder spark an attraction between them. She admits that normally she would find the killings of these animals cruel and sickening - almost sadistic - yet with Noonan this does
Stacy rejects Noonan - slowly understanding more about the complications that arise with this man - which sends him into a whirlwind of fury before finally killing an innocent bear in an attempt to regain his dominance. Unwilling to face his emotions and allow himself to feel, Noonan resorts to violence almost immediately, settling him in the single way he knows how. Due to growing up in the wild and hunting creatures mercilessly, Noonan has developed a sense of superiority for those around him and treats them like animals who only exist for him to torment. He shoots and traps animals he does not eat--foxes, coyotes, lynxes, even bears--and sells their pelts, carelessly ending their lives in order to satisfy his