SND - subordinate masculinity

point

see effects pressures of conforming to society’s expectation of a man on how subordinate masculinity manifests in behaviors and identity, leading to feelings of inadequacy and social anxiety among men who do not meet traditional masculine ideals.

Alan

“just a boy”

“a nervousness, a softness and tenderness”

““he was in the quicksands” scene 6

pressure to conform to hegemonic masculinity resulted in his death due to societal expectations and the fragility of his identity.

highlighting the fact men have vulnerable and emotionally complex sides to them

Mitch

a character representing the struggles with masculinity and vulnerability, often caught between societal expectations and his emotional needs. - see his failed attempt at becoming hegemonic figure destroys him - leaving him emotionally and mentally fractured as he grapples with rejection and isolation. - feminine weakness displaying his emotions

“Mitch collapses at the table sobbing”

“You…you…you” - fragmentation refleced in his speech illustrates the damaging effects of unrealistic masculine standards on mental health and relationships.

AO3 - vulnerability of man

Williams was also part of a generation of playwrights like Arthur Miller and Eugene O’Neill, who explored male vulnerability, failure, and emotional repression—challenging the myth of the strong, silent American man.

• perhaps s he himself was a gay man

Williams critic as a gay man

Williams, a gay man himself, was writing in a deeply repressive cultural moment, and his portrayal of men like Allan and Mitch can be read as a subtle protest against the politicization of masculinity. He exposes how society's narrow definitions of what it means to "be a man" lead to internalized shame, mental instability, and emotional disconnection.

ao5 - mitch and masculinity

“Mitch is the tragedy of a man caught between sensitivity and societal pressure to be ‘a real man’.”
— Kirsten Shepherd-Barr

Use this to explore Mitch as a symbol of conflicted masculinity — unable to be tender without being seen as weak.

comparison

Antonio - while more feminine in his submission to Duchess he does not feel the need to conform to society’s idealised portrayal of a man - however still meets his tragic end

• perhaps as all characters no matter how hard they try do not embody hegemonic masculinity and are punished as a result