Can Father-Daughter Bonds Transform Hyper-Masculinity in Media?
Hyper-masculinity has been a dominating presence in media for decades. From classic literature to the golden era of Hollywood, even to the meteoric-rising medium of video games, masculinity has been a staple for storytelling. And in almost every instance, it is problematic. Hyper-masculinity is glorified, and its effects are seldom explored. The male characters are portrayed as morally grey men. Their masculinity is romanticized in media discourse. However, with the rise of sensitivities and acceptance worldwide, artists are gradually moving away from this trope.
Although this shift is happening in a multifaceted manner, the most common application of it has been with the advent of a new unnamed genre – the escort “Y” to “Z” motif. This genre has been slowly creeping into our collective media consciousness. Anyone with media literacy is already aware of it. An older, disgruntled hyper-masculine male takes the responsibility of a younger protege as they adventure through a perilous journey, by the end of which, both of them–especially the mentor–are transformed into better versions of themselves.
Think Logan. The titular former X-Man has to take Laura to the Mexican border. Hugh Jackman’s 20-year-old on-screen Logan is as hardened as he can be. Laura tames the beast as his surrogate daughter figure, wearing off his veneer of masculinity and machismo.
A more recently developing instance of this trope is the new-gen God of War games. Kratos in the original trilogy is a misogynistic, hedonistic god-killing maniac. In the new games, Kratos’s son Atreus anchors his demigod father in line, warming Kratos into the father figure neither Zeus nor Odin could ever become. Throughout this, Kratos matures as a person and also nurtures a more sensitive and self-assured son in Atreus.
This is also done brilliantly in The Walking Dead games. Lee Everett is sentenced to prison. He is reeled back into society, owing to Clementine and how she humanizes Lee by overlooking his past. Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us are also great examples of this dynamic.
In recent literature, this is expertly represented in Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman. Thomas is a knight who has fallen from grace and taken to a life of crime. He is tasked to deliver a young girl, Delphine, across France. Throughout the pages, the disgraced knight restores his humanity and grows to be a father figure worth atonement, brought about by his bond with the virtuous Delphine.
