On The Dissolution Of Hegemonic Masculinity And Redefinition Of Black Masculinity

Terry McMillan is a famous contemporary African American novelist.Most of her works are best-selling novels which make her a rising star after preeminent African American women writers such as Zora Neale Hurston,Toni Morrison,and Alice Walker.As a promising black woman writer of the 1990 s,McMillan in her works not only focuses on the middle-class black women who live in the cities in the new era,but also describes contemporary black men's life and their psychological growth.Among her works,A Day Late and a Dollar Short is a representative.This thesis attempts to interpret black masculinity in A Day Late and a Dollar Short,trying to analyze how hegemonic masculinity the African American men pursue is manifested and dissolved,and how black masculinity is redefined,which has a reference significance for realizing gender equality in real life.The thesis consists of five parts.The introduction part provides the background information of the writer and her works,especially A Day Late and a Dollar Short,and literature review as well.The first chapter traces the history of western studies of masculinity as well as black masculinity,discussing in greater detail the research that has been done by R.W.Connell,Patricia Hill Collins,and bell hooks.The second chapter examines the manifestations of hegemonic masculinity in the novel and how it is dissolved.The third chapter describes how black masculinity is redefined in the novel from three aspects: communication,showing respect,and shouldering responsibility.Based on the above-mentioned analysis,the author concludes in the last part that hegemonic masculinity prevents African American men from being in touch with their true masculine nature in general and hinders the full development of the relationship between African American males and females in particular,which does nothing but harm to the solidarity of black community.Therefore,redefining black masculinity is necessary and urgent.A Day Late and a Dollar Short directs African American men to the way of self-discovery and encourages them to build self-esteem and reclaim the right of self-definition.The redefinition of black masculinity to some extent reveals the change and development of African American women's literature in contemporary era.