Hypermasculinity in Poe. Why hypermasculinity is a threat to the development of young boys

Seminar paper from the year 2021 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,3, Ruhr-University of Bochum, language: English, abstract: In Edgar Allan Poe's short story 'The Black Cat', gender roles are questioned. Being considered feminine before, the unnamed narrator quickly faces not being able to meet social standards, leading him to pointing out his hypermasculinity. By claiming that hypermasculinity is closely linked to restricting men in their individual development, this paper is answering the question if Poe's construct of hypermasculinity is still present today and in how far it limits boys in their process of becoming an adult. Researches have found that men who tend to be less masculine are seen as less likely to have success in work surroundings. This could also apply to boys growing up. This paper will focus on Poe's short story 'The Black Cat' and on other scientific works that took up on the topic of gender studies, like Mosher's and Tomkin's 'Scripting the Macho Man' or Faye Williams' 'Consequences of Hypermasculinity'. After taking into consideration a brief summary of the central short story, it will be analysed in how far Poe used reversed gender roles and hypermasculinity. Furthermore, the topic of gender roles at Poe's time and today are touched through considering which character traits were and are seen as masculine or feminine. Hypermasculinity and its consequences will be explained to understand the dilemma of such. The conclusion will take everything found out into account and summarize what that means for society.