Build Yourself

In the narratives of “Invincible” and “Guys club” we see the profound impact of external influences on the behaviour and identity of the protagonists. Both characters adapt to societal expectations of masculinity that cause them to hide their true selves and conform to gender norms. Through their stories, we see the complexities of identity, the pressures of society, and the struggle to hide your inner truth from external expectations. In both stories, the young men lived with influences that caused them to adapt their behaviour. External factors were linked to character change in both cases. 

In “Invincible” the protagonist Marc has some behavioural problems. Although we don’t know the cause, he was placed in a youth institution where he goes around and causes trouble. The way he acts isn’t his personality but rather to rebel against the system and the institution he’s in. He doesn’t feel loved, or appreciated, and ultimately feels like a disgrace. The institution isn’t there to help the kids but rather to scare them from coming back. They don’t support the kids. For example, Marc has nobody to talk to in his life, not even a counsellor at the institution and the one time we see him attempting to express his emotions in a poetry class nobody reacts and tries to support him. I believe his suicide could’ve been avoided if someone was there to listen to him and what he was going through.

He acts tough and “bad boy” style on the outside but during his narrative, you can tell he’s a sweet kid. This is shown quite clearly when he is playing with his younger sister and skipping stones. He was so happy and looked extremely joyful. As he returns to the youth center his behaviour changes drastically. The influences around him at the youth center don’t help his behaviour. The lesson everyone is trying to teach those boys is to man up and surpass their problems. Marc needs more support. Being told to man up isn’t helpful in any way, and if support had been provided maybe Marc wouldn’t have taken his life. 

In the short story “Guy’s Club” by Carlos André Gomez, a young boy named Carlos is introduced to masculinity norms at an extremely young age. When seeing his sister and aunt painting their nails, Carlos thought it would be cool to do him as well. His aunt laughed and said, “That is a thing for girls” (Gomez 1). After seeing how disappointed he was she decided to paint his nails in the end. When Carlos shows up to the soccer field for a game, his teammates see the nails and say, “Why are your nails painted are you a faggot” (Gomez 2)? Immediately everyone gathered around Carlos, and they were all laughing at him. He felt like an attraction. This incident led to Carlos’s learning about masculinity and how toxic other guys act when seeing weakness. After skipping down his life a bit, we see that Carlos still struggles with his masculine identity. Although he does all the “classic” things like sex and hooking up with girls and bars he also has some moments where he truly isn’t “masculine”. When visiting Zambia, Carlos was amazed by the difference in masculinity judgements and openness. He liked the fact that you could hold hands with your friends in the streets and not get called a faggot. During the trip, he finds himself kissing his friend during sleep. He wakes up from his dream and his lips are hovering over the other man. He doesn’t know what this means but it confuses him even more. “Was I gay? Did I have something inside of me that was trying to break free (Gomez 15)? This trip opened his eyes to who he truly was. Not who Western civilization wanted him to be. He found himself again after living his entire teenage years being somebody who was formed not by his own will, but by society. 

These 2 characters for sure have something in common, in both narratives, the young men find themselves following masculine norms that don’t align with their true selves. Despite their inner qualities/desires, they are compelled to adapt their behaviour to fit societal expectations of masculinity. In both cases, they’re prone to hide their true selves to navigate the expectations of masculinity imposed by society across the world. Despite their internal struggles and qualities, external influences force them to conform to a narrow definition of masculinity, causing them to ignore aspects of their identity and behave in ways that are not their true nature.

In conclusion, the experiences of the young men in “Invincible” and “Man Up” underscore the influence of societal norms on individual behaviour and identity. Despite their inner goodness and unique qualities, both protagonists are forced to suppress aspects of themselves to conform to societal expectations of masculinity. These characters serve as reminders of the importance of self-acceptance and the need to reject gender norms, allowing us to embrace our true selves. As society continues to evolve, may these stories inspire reflection and dialogue on the enduring quest for personal authenticity and liberation from the confines of societal expectations.