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Post by fluriana on Aug 20, 2008 0:37:04 GMT -5
Don't you think Ponyboy's character has been portrayed too sensitive?Doesn't he cry too much for a guy?Usually a male character is not presented like that in any literature or movie.Or at least that's what I have found.He's very emotional,very soft,very clutchy,very dependent.Another unique thing about him is he's 14,which means a teenager.How many boys that age are attracted to things like books & sunsets?They are into other lighter sides of life.One reason may be the period the novel dates back to.The 60's.Then it's written by a female author.Anyway.What's your opinion?
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Post by missmouse on Aug 20, 2008 12:02:07 GMT -5
Guys cry too- it's unusual for a male to not cry. Look at what he's going through in the book- it would be far stranger if he didn't cry. Because of the stereotype made that men shouldn't cry, you'll rarely see them cry in public. Does it mean they don't cry? Nope, they're just living up to what the public makes it seem that being a man should be.
Just because teenage males don't run around screaming 'I LOVE SUNSETS LETS GO WATCH!' doesn't mean they don't enjoy them. It's not a 'manly' thing for them to do, as you just proved, so you don't hear about it because it would be embarressing to them. Most likely, more enjoy sunsets than you would ever imagine.
Some of it could have to do with the author being female writing about a male- but I doubt it. I think that its VERY possible that teenage males like Ponyboy exist, but hide what they're truely like because of the ridiculous stereotypes. Think- you think it's odd that Ponyboy is emotional, so if you met a boy like Ponyboy in real life, you'd think he was odd- so why would any teenage boys show that they have emotions, if thats what it's going to do?
I wish the world would stop all of this stupidity.
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Post by murderofcrows on Aug 20, 2008 12:03:20 GMT -5
there are guys like that out there, i don't think it's out of character for a male. i don't think he cries too much, i mean, it's not like he cries at the drop of a hat, he cried at major things, like getting jumped, in the church when everything starts to hit him about what's happened, etc. that's different than crying at, say, dropping his cookie. it's funny, in fanfiction, sodapop is usually the one portrayed as being a bawl-baby.  *edit* also, i wanted to add...being married, i've witnessed my husband cry on many occasions, not at something silly like i mentioned before, but when he had reason, he would cry. and he is definitely the anti-softy lol he's a hard-ass, kind of a dallas winston/tim shepard type of guy, but older and with more experience. if someone like that can cry, someone like ponyboy can definitely cry. |
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Post by fluriana on Aug 22, 2008 22:33:39 GMT -5
Sorry I'm real late to reply.Actually I didn't come online the past couple of days.Look.I do not approve of people that enforce stereotypes like guys may not cry & all.What I wanted to say was usually male characters are not presented that way anywhere.Even if they are pretty young.And I know that's mainly due to the stereotype that guys are supposed to be tough.I like the way how Ponyboy's character has been created.He's my favorite & one reason why I like him is his emotional & sensitive nature.
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Post by Nittanylizard on Aug 23, 2008 6:46:24 GMT -5
I know what you're trying to say, and it could be that Ponyboy's sensitivity stands out more because you don't see a lot of stories written from the point of view of a young teenage boy.
It could also be that we're getting so much more into Ponyboy's head than any of the other characters are without realizing it. For example, I see a lot of fanfics that have a brand new character, usually female, immediately seeing Ponyboy as a quiet, sensitive kid who likes reading and sunsets. We know from the story, though (think about the girl in the yellow dress in Ponyboy's biology class) that to some of the kids who don't know him well, Ponyboy comes off as a hood. That's actually a perspective I really enjoy exploring - the way Ponyboy (or any of the gang) would realistically appear to somebody who either has just met them, or doesn't know them well.
Going back to the low percentage of books that come from a young male main character, there's a writer I know on another forum who was once told by an agent, regarding her manuscript - a character-driven story about a teenage male protagonist - that even though the writing was really good, there wasn't much of a market for a story about an introspective teenage boy.
I'm hoping that's changed a bit, lol, as most of my stories are written from the POV of teenage boys. They don't necessarily cry a lot, but I do like to keep them honest with themselves and the readers. If they're afraid or upset, the reader knows it, even if none of the other characters do.
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Post by fluriana on Aug 23, 2008 14:41:58 GMT -5
And that's what my point is.I know Ponyboy doesn't express himself before just anyone & everyone.We also get a mention of that at the hospital where Ponyboy feels like crying seeing Johnny badly burnt but doesn't coz he doesn't like to show his emotions in public.But I didn't know that even deep inside guys might feel tender & sensitive.I thought guys try not to show their emotions even to themselves.It's our society that almost demands it's male members to be "hard nuts"while females can go overboard with their emotions.Naturally we get a reflection of that both in real life as well as in literature or movies.I think in that way Ponyboy is a little different coz he's not afraid to show his emotions at least to the people he feels close with.Many guys try not even to do that coz they fear that'd make them less of a "man".
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Post by Tensleep on Aug 27, 2008 17:38:40 GMT -5
I think this is an interesting point. I think it has more to do with how you're raised and who you trust to see you cry. Someone once passed along a quote to me that said you were stronger to cry than not. I believe it. It takes a lot to let go, and guys just like to be alone when they do.
Ponyboy is young and kind of sheltered, even though a lot has happened to him. I would be really worried if he never cried, but at the same time, I thought he was a little over the top. But the point is, he was raised as the baby, ok to cry, and he trusts that his brothers and his friends would never hold it against him if he had a good reason to cry. I can see him growing up and finding privacy when he needs to let go when he's older. But at fourteen, he's just being fourteen.
I don't know if that makes much sense, but it's just the way I see it, and I am so jet lagged that this could be gibberish and I would be none the wiser. One thing I keep in mind is that even Ponyboy said that Two-Bit and Steve never cried, and at fourteen, Ponyboy seems like a much more put together and secure person than either of those two. Long point short, reasonable crying from a boy is ok in my books.
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Post by paisley51090 on Sept 14, 2008 21:26:20 GMT -5
I don't think he's portrayed too sensitive in the book. but he his in some fanfics. Besides, it's not like a sensitive guy is totally unheard of. I mean, a lot's happened to the kid so it would probably be bad if he didn't cry. I mean, his parents died, his friends died, he was involved in a murder. That's a lot for any one at any age, boy or girl. Also, i don't think it has anything to do with the book being written by a girl. I've read plenty of books that were written by guys that had sensitive guy characters ( just go read or watch the Notebook. Noah may not be as sensitive as Ponyboy but he has some pretty sensitive moments).
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Post by mweagle on Jan 9, 2009 19:04:00 GMT -5
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Post by Nittanylizard on Jan 11, 2009 15:28:19 GMT -5
I really enjoyed that story! Haven't reviewed yet because ffnet was giving me problems yesterday. Every time I tried to leave a review for somebody, it just froze up. |
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