Representations Of Masculinity And Femininity In Miguel Street

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book as well as the boy narrator of
the book.

Finding examples of manliness are found with great ease considering that
12 of the 17 stories in some way deal with the theme of manliness (Thieme 24).
It doesnt take long before the first example, a carpenter named Popo, is
introduced. In the chapter titled "The Thing Without A Name" we are told that
"Popo never made any money. His wife used to go out and work and this was easy ,
because they had no children. Popo said ' Women and them like work. Man not
made for work" ( Naipaul 17). This attitude immediately makes Popo stand out
from the rest of the men of Miguel Street. Hat (a character that will be
discussed later) deems Popo as a "man- woman. Not a proper man" (Naipaul 17)
because Popo's wife makes all the money. From this brief description of Popo,
the reader quickly learns as to what makes a man manly on Miguel Street. Popo
has no children which questions his virility. It is also important to notice
that Popo's wife has no ...

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caught by his wife sleeping with another woman. The fighting is
heard by most on Miguel Street and they can see that Mrs. Morgan is doing the
beating this time. She is heard saying, "Leave the light on. Come, let we show
the big hero to the people in the street. Come, let we show them what man really
make like. You is not a anti- man , you is real man. You ain't only make ten
children with me, you going to make more with somebody else" (Naipaul 70). As
the narrator says , "For the first time since he came to Miguel Street, Morgan
was really being laughed at by the people" (Naipaul 71). The sarcasm in Mrs.
Morgan's 'real man' statement, shows an example of how Morgan is seen by even
his ...

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