... male characters such as Pedro Romero and Liu Kanghi, these stories reveal that often times, only outsiders to society actually possess masculinity. Ironically, the text suggests these males attain manhood by following their intuition and their heart instead of attempting to live up to ... his primary failure as a man because of his inability to have sex, a defining characteristic of masculinity. While Jake's impotence affects him physically, the resulting emotional scar affects him to a much greater degree. Although Jake rarely articulates his feelings directly, he expresses his insecuri...

• Word Count: 2224
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... insects". He has no respect for those higher in social status, those who have not "suffered" thinking them to be "disgraces" of society; however, ironically, quite the opposite. Peter, anti-socially, shields his family from outsiders, trusting no-one with the people he cares most about. Though this may seem harsh and overbearing, we do not critique Peter, because he is traumatized by ... the effect of the Holocaust on his life and we understand the difficulties the Holocaust has brought. As a result, Peter does everything in his power to keep the family together : disallowing social int...

• Word Count: 726
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate