The greater part of films is always aimed at the performance of social functions since the aim of a filmmaker is to influence society in one way or another. Usually the producer’s aim is to provide important knowledge and reflection of experience to the target audience. The film “Boyz N the Hood’’ directed by John Singleton has provoked an intense response of the audience of 1990s. The expansive kind of subject has led to the appearance of several interpretations of the film. Some viewers assert that it is meaningful for the blacks, while other opinions suggest that the film is meant for the whites. This discrepancy of the views is caused by the plot of the work, including the types of characters and their participation in the film. The variety of interpretations of the work has made some of the film review experts describe it as being a mosaic of contradictory (Wallace 216). The depiction of the African American male characters signifies that that the producer of the film targets the white audience for the purpose of struggling against stereotypes making use of the black male characters in various tragic and criminal incidents not to portray negative culture of African American males, but to show the power/ authority and responsibility of the black men in the global community.
There is no denying the fact that the film under analysis is about masculinity. This is why it is necessary to analyze the concept of masculinity and black masculinity in particular. Researchers stress that “masculinity is not an individual or biological trait; rather it makes itself known through social interaction” (Davis 292). Thus, “masculinity comprises the social and culturally constructed meanings and definitions attributed to being male” (Davis 292).
Conflicting nature of the constructs of masculinity is stressed by Forbes, who describes conventional masculinity as “an example of socially constructed norm” that teaches young men that “being a man in this society means being stoic, staying in control, and acting in a vigilant, aggressive, and competitive manner” (17). Henry presents his view of a particular type of black masculinity as the “one defined mainly by an urban aesthetics, a nihilistic attitude, and aggressive posturing” and he stresses that this type of black masculinity has been the leading one in cultural mainstream during last two decades (114). He also mentions the analyzed film in terms of the “crisis of masculinity” in American that is the evidence of the reasonableness of the thesis statement of this paper (Henry 114).
Consequently, the main aim of the film is to introduce different types of black men’s masculinity that contradict a stereotypical concept of African-American masculinity. This depends on the individual’s understanding and interpretation of the work, however, the opinion embodied in this paper opposes the stereotypical attitude towards black men’s masculinity.
First and foremost, the conventional concept of black masculinity as perceived by the whites is created due to African American culture as reflected in music and films (Henry 114). The popularity of the construct of violent black masculinity in complex with its natural alienation from the white audience produces false perception of black masculinity. The white audience has got accustomed to the depiction of African American characters as violent and aggressive. Singleton’s film “Boyz N the Hood” that is meant to convey the message of masculinity would make the film not an exception of such shallow impression and interpretation that blemish the culture of the blacks. However, it should be taken into account that Singleton, the producer of the film, hails from the black men’s community himself. This means that each and every false image that the work portrays would affect his life directly. This diminishes the possibilities of the film product to make unfair attacks at the black culture and personal involvement of the producer suggests that his view of black male masculinity can be useful for understanding of masculinity in African American community.
“Boys N the Hood” presents a character that is of great interest for the present paper, it is Tre’s father, Furious Styles, who is the main bearer of morality and positive traits of character in the film. He is a guru and a person who follows high moral standards, which he is going to pass on to his son. He is the bearer of worldly wisdom and his decision to take up his son’s upbringing is worth admiration. It can be said that Furious is the bearer of “a counter social construct of masculinity” offered by Forbes, who suggests “that men should be more expressive, nurturing, and open to themselves and others” (17). Usually, this type of morality is typical for females but in the film “Boyz N the Hood”, the male and the female roles seem to be synchronized in the character of Furious. In the real black community, there has been a high degree of the division of labor and work specification or specialization than in any other community. For instance, it was not the duty of the males to take care of children or to take part in the household chores in general. The performance of such duties was considered to be the breach of the norms of the black men. All in all, Singleton had presented a transformed black man, who would no longer keep the odds and traditions of the forefathers or those of the past generation (Madison 11).
Singleton endeavors and transcends the whites’ opinion of the black men by portraying the blacks as individuals, who can adopt and assume any responsibility. In the film, Furious belongs to such a type of black men who can take any responsibility including female responsibility. He proves this when he takes up the duty of bringing up his son, Tre, after his mother’s decision that she is unable to bring a son up in a proper way as she cannot cope with his misbehavior at school. Furthermore, Furious has every reason to take the responsibility of bringing up his son, Tre. As one might think about the experience that both parents have in nurturing a child to build a good character, one would first think of the mother as the primary agent of upbringing. The choice of the father to be responsible for his son, perhaps emerges from the fact that he has profound knowledge and experience of the challenges that a male child faces. It is thus a wise decision, taking into account that intimate relationship of a father and a son will eventually lead to mutual benefit.
However, in regard to taking responsibility, delegating duties to the male characters is unique in its own way. It is Tre’s mother, Reva Devereaux, who delegates the responsibility of bringing up Tre to his father. This is a specific delegation of duties as the mother is a proficient person, who is usually expected to possess the necessary knowledge and skills to bring up a child. In addition, the decision to send her son to his father portrays the female character as the one that does not possess a sense of responsibility and accountability for the behavior of her child.
Spraggins states that “the family is the place where socialization into masculinity usually begins. Among the African American men, the absence of an adult male in many homes results in much gun socialization and originating in peer groups” (67). This is the case with Doughboy, the film character who chooses the criminal path because he is the victim of emotional abuse at home and the fact that he is also a victim of bullying that is left unpunished also proves Spraggins’ idea.
The viewers can trace the development of Doughboy’s character as the proof of Spraggin’s idea of black male masculinity. When a child, the character makes an attempt of shoplifting but it is the consequence of rotten upbringing and spoilt social conditions rather than an inherent trait of his character. On his release from prison, Doughboy becomes a member of a gang and he also deals with drugs, thus becoming a representative of stereotypical role of black male masculinity.
Madison states: “Seeking a resolution between maintaining the inherited identity and embracing the economic and social opportunities presented by the dominant culture is among the most difficult tensions to resolve” (8). Doughboy fails to resolve the conflict and becomes a representative of negative black male masculinity that is typical of mainstream culture of the twentieth century.
However, Singleton creates a synthesis of traditional concept of masculinity with an unconventional one. Throughout the film, Doughboy demonstrates his strong sense of pride and his respect of the code of honor that is so important for men. Entman and Rojeski state that television “fashions a hierarchical racial divide that stereotypes Blacks and associates them with the wrong, dangerous side of the cultural continuum” (78). Doughboy partially embodies this vision of an African American as perceived by the white audience but his character is a refutation of the stereotype at the same time. His faithfulness to his friends and his brother Ricky are the dominant traits of his character. Even the decision to take revenge is shown as a positive one, though it is a form of violence. However, violence is condemned with the help of Doughboy’s character, as a viewer learns that he finally approves of and agrees with Tre’s choice to take nonviolent actions. Also, Doughboy is killed at the end, and this is the proof of doom of this violent type of black masculinity. Thus, the character of Doughboy is a perfect proof of the idea expressed by Hook: “Negative stereotypes about the nature of black masculinity continue to over determine the identities black males are allowed to fashion for themselves” (xii).
Hooks writes that black men “cannot emerge as … individuals until they develop self-esteem and the capacity to confront systems of domination in a constructive way” (unpaged).
Tre Styles and Ricky Backers seem to have managed to achieve this. The character of Tre as well as the character of Ricky Backer can be characterized by intelligence and aspirations. Both young men are eager to get higher education and become successful members of society.
Hooks writes that all black men should learn “that fatherhood is less about biological creation than about the capacity to nurture the spiritual and emotional growth” of a child (144).
Furious Styles understands this rule and his observance of this rule brings positive consequences to his son, Tre. The father’s efforts of mentoring his son turn out to be very effective. As reflected in many behavioral ways, Tre has established his positive conscience, which is believed to help him in escaping from the hood. By the end of the film, Tre does not behave childishly or irresponsibly any longer; for example, there is one scene when Tre takes the initiative of rescuing a child that is almost run over by a car. He rescues the child and hands it over to the mother who seems to be careless because of her withdrawal pains. In the broad sense, this portrays a sense of male’s role beyond the family set up or organization. It may be said that the efforts of Tre’s father to bring his son up are aimed at making him live a life full of respect. Respect and masculinity are two entities which are allied. With the help of this postulate, Furious manages to bring up his son accordingly and to break up with the stereotypical concept of violent black male masculinity.
Though the character of Tre is positive, there are some traits of his character that show his adherence to patriarchic order. This is the case with his girlfriend, named Brandi. Tre is eager to have sexual relationship with her though he knows that she disapproves of it, as the girl is a faithful Catholic. However, Tre’s behavior proves the idea of Hooks, who writes that “large majority of black men took as their standard the dominator model set by white masters. When slavery ended these black men often used violence to dominate black women, which was a repetition of the strategies of control white slave-masters used” (4). Thus, Tre performs modern unconventional black male roles but the character has the traces of traditional black male violence as well.
As for Ricky Backer, he has much in common with the protagonist, for example, he is intelligent too and his main role is the active positive role of an aspiring young man, who is eager to achieve success in life. With the help of this character, the producer also tries to break the mainstream stereotype of a young black athlete as a person who is superior in sports but inferior to the whites in intelligence. After Ricky’s tragic death, his mother discovers that his grades could have let him enter any college he would like to choose.
As for the character of Ricky Backer, it proves the idea expressed by Spraggins, who states that “Africa American men get married at about the same age as white men, although they are younger when their first child is born, and fatherhood is more likely to precede the marriage” (46). At the same time, Ricky shows deep respect for his beloved woman and he is a perfect example of responsible and decent man who is eager to perform his moral duties.
On the whole, the analyzed film shows the white audience that it is necessary to overcome stereotypes connected with the roles of African American men in modern America as they are obstacles for the citizens’ existence in modern society. Generally, the live of a black man in the state which is claimed to exercise democracy with its citizens had never been easy as many people might think. Singleton focuses on this black man’s life, showing that the whites have been stereotypical towards black men.
Throughout history, the black men have played a significant role in the process of shaping of American history. Sometimes, black men acted as key drivers of political changes and development, while in other periods they improved national reputation by means of achievements in the sphere of sports and other events. Despite numerous ways by which the blacks struggled to contribute to wellbeing of the nation, it appears there has been little or no change of the white’s view of the black man. Whether black men belong to the upper class, or middle class, or even the lower class, all receive similar unwelcoming attitude of the whites.
Since the date of entanglement from the hands of colonialists to the last decades of the twentieth century, the black man’s race has been struggling against the problem of inequality. However, the issue has gain strength with the increasing number of the black men realizing their oppression and tyranny on the part of white citizens. Since the authorities turn a deaf ear to the black men’s discontent with bad living conditions, this fact has compelled the black men to come out of their peripheral cocoons to awaken the American mainstream organizations as well as authorities (Entman and Rojecki 165). In other words, disregard of the blacks is the causal factor of the augmented number of crimes committed in the inner cities, which not only derail the growth and development of the black community, but also scare away the rich white men from their bungalows and high-rise buildings in the inner city to some remote areas of the states.
The decrease of the number of employment opportunities in the city makes some black men stay as idlers, while the others will search for a job all days long. The murderers, robbers, and thieves will form an integral group of rapists, sexual assaulters, and other offenders. The problem that has appeared does not show how powerful the blacks are, but physiologists describe it in relation to natural behavior that automatically springs out from passive environment. This uncontrollable level of crimes is aggravated by the discriminatory attitude of the whites towards the black individuals that makes them feel inferior as it can be proven by the case of mass media that portrays them in the negative light (Entman and Rojecki 226).
Drawing a conclusion, it is possible to state that John Singleton film “Boyz N the Hood” is a perfect ground for analysis of the modern roles of African American young men in contemporary society from the point of view of their real roles in comparison with the stereotypical ones. The way the creator of the film shows the African American male characters signifies that the film is aimed at the white audience in order to convey the message of the necessity of struggling against stereotypes connected with black masculinity. Making use of the black men’s characters in various tragic and criminal situations, Singleton does not want to portray negative culture of African males; he wants to show the power, authority and the expanded responsibility of the black men in American community and global community as well.
Works Cited
Davis, James Earl. “Research at the margin: mapping masculinity and mobility of African-American high school dropouts.” International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. 19.3 (2006): 289-304. Print.
Entman, Robert and Rojecki, Andrews. The Black Image in the White Mind. Media and Race in America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
Forbes, David. “Finding the Zone beyond the social construction of masculine gender identity.” Encounter: Education for Meaning and Social Justice. 19.1. (2006): 16-24. Print.
Henry, Matthew. “He is a “bad mother*$%@!#”. Shaft and Contemporary Black Masculinity.” Journal of Popular Film & Television. (2002): 114-119. Print.
Hooks, Bell. We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity. NY: Routledge, 2003.
Madison, Davis “Living Black, Living White: Cultural Choices in Crime Films.” World Literature Today, 92, (2008): 8-11. Print.
Spraggins, Jonnie David. “African American Masculinity: Power and Expression.” Journal of African American Men. (1999): 45-72. Print.
Wallace, Michele. “Boyz in the Hood and Jungle Fever.” Dark Design and Visual Culture. USA: Duke University Press, 2004: 215-223.