Key Concept of Henry Jenkins’s “Never Trust a Snake: WWF Wrestling as Masculine Melodrama” and the film “Troy”
Henry Jenkins’s article appeared very informative and interesting, as it provided an explicit explanation to the emotional world of men from a rather unexpected angle, clarifying male nature in a way that goes far beyond the chosen subject of the article itself, as it presents an applicable methodology of understanding men’s psychology without being judgmental and/or overcritical. All in all, from the perspective of wrestling as a staged performance, where problems are being solved by the physical power, rather than a power of words and which despite its cruelty, brutality and overwhelming straightforwardness does have a certain narrative to it, Jenkins draws parallel between emotional restraint and wrestling, or apparently, any kind of real sport, as means of releasing previously reserved or restrained emotions and feelings.
To put it another way, Henry Jenkins’s perceived wrestling as an outlet for men to express their emotions and/or feelings. The author conveniently brings up patriarchy as another great example of men releasing their emotions in a masculine way: “Patriarchy consequently constructs alternative means of releasing and managing masculine emotion while preserving the myth of the stoic male” (Jenkins ed. by Farris et al. 2007). As the author continues to unfold his extremely interesting and logical train of thoughts, he states that emotional openness has been viewed as an expression of vulnerability, while emotional restraint has been perceived as a sign of social integration for thousands of years. Jenkins promptly notes that “the totality of this restraint exacts its own social costs, creating psychic tensions that somehow must be redirected and released within socially approved limitations” (Jenkins ed. by Farris et al. 2007). All in all, the key concept that can be retrieved from the authors conclusive and informative viewpoints is that wrestling as a type of sport provides a wonderful opportunity for men to release all of their emotions and most importantly, to do it in a masculine way keeping up with the traditional image of stoic male.
Now, the film “Troy” appears as the wonderful exemplification for Jenkins’s theory. The opening scene of the movie, as well as the famous Hector vs. Achilles fight is very appropriate in this case. Nevertheless, they should not be separated from the context, which means that it would be easier to examine either scene from Jenkins’ perspective, keeping in mind the rest of the storyline.
The opening scene of the film, where Achilles defeats Boagrius, no less than a human giant, from a single attack, can be viewed as a typical fight, where men have an opportunity to prove themselves as men. The audience in the movie and the one in the cinema theater would agree on one and only truth that Achilles (or Brad Pitt) is “the man”. The display of clever and quick mind and a physical power needed to actually execute whatever the great mind has though of result in this character being the epitome of manhood.
The …