Scott Russell Sanders 'The Men We Carry In Our Minds'

Summary of “The Men We Carry in Our Minds”
In Scott Russell Sanders essay titled “The Men We Carry in Our Minds”, Sanders supports his personal opinion on gender roles and inequality, which has been shaped by witnessing the struggles faced by two different socioeconomic classes. Throughout the essay, Sanders compares social issues faced by both wealthy and less fortunate men and women, as well as the unique problems faced by both genders.
We begin a more in depth look into Sanders personal beliefs and history as he recalls discussing with a colleague the traditional hardships that both genders have faced throughout history. His companion Anneke expresses her belief that men have a tougher time in life than women, and the idea that “men are the ones who have been discredited, and have to search their souls” (292) . It is this very thought that causes Sanders to reflect upon his own personal experiences. “When I think back on my childhood, on how I learned to see men and women, I have a sense of ancient, dizzying depths.” (Sanders 293) As a child, Sanders felt as though a man of his socioeconomic class, had very limited options when it came to his future. He knew would eventually face a choice of
The more he time spent with what he had considered privileged women, he began to question his former opinion. “No doubt, had I looked harder at their lives, I would have envied them less.” (Sanders 295). His entire belief system was shaken when the women in whom he attended college with began personally accusing Sanders of “having cornered the world’s pleasures” (296) and exercising male privilege. Sanders’ confusion stemmed from his personal belief that he shared the same plight as these women; that they would both share the same “grim and bleak fate”