CULTURAL AND
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ON MASCULINITY AS DEPICTED IN NO NEW LAND BY M. G. VASSANJI
G. Zeenathaman
Assistant Professor of English,
Adhiyaman Arts and Science College for Women, Uthangarai
&
S. Bhuvaneshwari
Assistant Professor of English,
Adhiyaman Arts and Science College for Women, Uthangarai
Abstract:
The term maleness and
masculinity are closely related and familiar in the society because it takes
first place in the cultural roles. The society is distinguishing the gender as
men and women, girls and boys, the gender bias started from the vision of
people and they describe male are the person who stands in the first
everywhere. Even the God has done the same who has created man Adam as the
first and Eve as the second. The discrimination has started among the gender by
assigning the rules affixed to the male and female are different. M. G.
Vassanji, the diasporic Canadian writer has discussed about maleness and
masculinity in his fiction No New Land through the characters Nurdin Lalani,
Abdul, Romesh, Esmail, Jamal and Nanji. Here these characters are grappled
their dual identities, they are trying to balance their old cultural values
with the expectations of their new society. In No New Land the writer portrays
characters striving to preserve their culture while maintaining their
individuality.
Keywords: Maleness, Masculinity, Distinguish,
Discrimination, Grapple, Strive, Preserve.
The term masculinity is synonymous with
bravery, honor, and public service. Masculinity is referred of different
cultures and historical periods which are shaped by social norms, economic
structures, and political systems. The cultural and historical perspective
reveals the true nature of gender roles in the societies. The masculinity is
often connected with physical strength, leadership, and military power. In
ancient civilization men are expected to have virtues like courage, wisdom, and
self-discipline. The Greek, men are educated, politically active, and capable
of defending the city-state. During the medieval period, masculinity was
closely tied to chivalry, knighthood, and religious devotion.
Knights were expected to protect the weak,
uphold justice, and display loyalty to their lords and the church. This period
reinforced the idea of the male protector and provider. The 19th century saw
the rise of the "self-made man"an individual who achieved success
through hard work, discipline, and perseverance. Masculinity during this time
was also influenced by colonial expansion, reinforcing ideals of dominance and control.
In the 20th century, masculinity saw the transformations due to wars, economic
changes, and social movements. In World War I and II, the wars turned the
masculine into heroism and sacrifice; meanwhile the post war changed the role
of men breadwinners within nuclear families.
In the 21st century, masculinity continues to
evolve, shaped by globalization, technological advancements, and social
activism. Traditional notions of masculinity such as stoicism, dominance, and
emotional restraint are increasingly being questioned. Concepts like
"toxic masculinity" have emerged, critiquing behaviors that continue
gender inequality and emotional suppression. At the same time, new models of
masculinity are being embraced, including those that value emotional
intelligence, vulnerability, and egalitarian relationships.
The second novel of M.G. Vassanji the No New Land portrays the life of Asian
people from Africa settled in Toronto. It is clearly saying about the double
displacement of Asian people. M.G.
Vassanji brings the various changes of behaviors among the male characters in
his novel. This paper aims to show the state of the maleness and masculinity
depicted in the novel No NewLand. They struggle a lot to retain their ethnic
culture in the new society and at the same time they start assimilating the
society’s majority group.
No New Land deals
with the story of Shamsi community. Here Vassanji gives voice to a cultural
clash of the character’s experience in Canada. He illustrates the fate of this
community in Toronto where Nurdin Lalani emigrates with his family. Nurdin
faces many difficulties while entering to the new land. The new country gives
them new experience of alienation and isolation to Nurdin’s family. There they
found no safe accommodation too. They move to Don Mills where various members
of the community who have migrated to Canada.The Disappointments and
humiliation make Nurdin to be panic. In the hours of distress Nurdin remembers
his homeland, Tanzania. He is always hanging between these two lands. Thus, No
New Land has cultural changes in the minds of the characters.
After
the death of Nurdin’s father Hazi Lalani they migrated to Canada. After
Nurdin comes in this multicultural Canada, he struggles hard to find a descent
job. But his efforts become futile. He remains unemployed for a long time that
adds to his misery. Zera, Nurdin’s wife gets a job as a receptionist in a
doctor’s clinic. But Nurdin always hurts her as she violets the culture. He
gives troubles to her during her homecomings after the job. This is a clear evident of a masculine behavior of a man
which has shown in this novel through the character of Nurdin.
Women are there to carry out the orders which are led by
the men, is most common thing in the family as the women wanted to wait until
the man’s comment over everything. The society and cultural norms are not
exceptional to this occurrence, these cultural standards are substantiates in
the most of the novels in the literature.In things fall apart Okonkwo’s wife
Ojiugo does not make food for dinner instead she went to braid her hair at a
friend’s house when Okonkwo finds out, he beats her very harshly. In Igbo society the men are expected to work
for their family in the lands and provide food for their family. So, the
cultural norms also differ for men and woman. This way of description also
found in the novel No New land, here Lalani’s family male goes to job earns
money for their family.
Once Lalani quit from the job it is Zehra who become as
the bread winner to her family. This
cultural change is not accepted by her husband. He simply blames her that she
doesn’t satisfy the needs of her family especially her husband. Here Vassanji
proves the clear masculine thought through Nurdin, women she has to satisfy the
needs of a man as well the need of a family it is the only work that the women
should carry out throughout her lifespan. This is also found in the novel Things Fall Apart ‘There was a wealthy
man in Okonkwo‟s village who had three huge barns, nine wives and thirty
children. His name was Nwakibie and he had taken the highest but one title
which a man could take in the clan’. (TFA18). In comparison the novelsdeals
with the masculine power over women. Women are depicted as slaves under their
maleness behavior. This can never change until the whole tradition and culture
will ooze.
“Patriarchy structure has been a major feature of the
tradition society. There are clearly defined sex roles, while various taboos
ensure conformity with specified gender roles. Traditionally, men do not
participate in domestic work including child rearing such tasks are considered
to be the exclusive domain of women”. (TFA2).
These lines are evident to prove the masculine power of
man over women, the tradition and culture encourages it. In No new Land Zehra
Lanini faces many issues that are created by her husband.
Though Zera gets job immediately and the children easily adjust to the new situations, Nurdin finds
more difficult to undergo the situation. He gets jealous on his wife’s earnings. He is accused of sexually assaulting a
girl and there he blames his wife, as she doesn’t satisfy his needs. He says
that his wife is not doing her household works properly and she does not care
on her family. So, he seeks the happiness from outside. Ultimately, he
finds friendship with Sushila who offers him
freedom from past, routine marriage
and trials of children. Thus, Lalani ignores his culturalrules he starts to
have beer andhe starts to eat pork with his friend Romesh. But he easily cheats
his wife on her change of culture in migrated land. Haji Lalani the fatherofNurdin
is strictly maintained his religious rules. A strict man of rules, he
paradoxically violets the very norms of the upholds. Thus,Nurdin is depicted as
dominative character of maleness in the novel No New Land.
Feminist criticism tries to through lights on this male
domination and strict culture and theories regarding literary creation and
criticism. This way of approach is meant to establish a appropriate and clear
environment for women. In the book The
Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir criticizes the nature of human society and
the status given to women in society, politics and religion spheres of life.
Her book The Second Sex has a very
broad historical perspective. It details injustice done to women from the
historical times. She makes an appeal for equal opportunities and equal
position for men and women. She fights powerfully against the relegation of
women to second position that have happened traditionally and it is still
existing in the present century. She argues for the rights of women boldly.
“In actuality the relation of the two sexes is not quite
like that of two electrical poles, for man represents both the positive and the
neutral, as is indicated by the common use of man to designate human beings in
general; whereas woman represents only the negative, defined by limiting
criteria, without reciprocity”. (TSS15).
A fine classification masculine dominating
quality is proved again in this novel that is One Friday evening, when Roshan
Zehra Lanini’s sister is ironing her husband’s pants, the children of Zera and
Rosahan started fighting. Both the mothers ran to pacify the quarrel. In the
mean time, the iron burnt a leg of the pant. Abdul became furious, and in
anger, slapped his wife. This is a clear evidence of dominating male community
over women. After all the pants leg is burnt Abdul gets anger and slaps his
wife brutally. One of the most important changes is against to
cultural rules especially men. Once women findsto overcome the religious
practices men starts to approach her differently. Maleness and Masculinity
quality of a men creates many rules to practice only women not man. Nurdin and
Abdul settle in Canada so he can change his cultural norms according to him,
but can’t a woman,
Masculinity and male
dominance are deeply rooted in cultures worldwide, influencing societal norms
and literary narratives across genres. Patriarchal structures continue to
persist, shaping men's perceptions of power and control. While women have long
fought for their rights, leading to significant social and literary
transformations, male resistance to female empowerment remains a reality. In Nurdin
Lalani, the struggles of a migrant man reflect the pressures of masculinity,
as he faces numerous challenges in securing employment. However, when his wife,
Zehra, successfully finds a job and stabilizes the family’s financial
condition, instead of appreciating her efforts, Nurdin perceives her actions as
a violation of traditional gender roles.
His frustration stems not only from his personal struggles but also from the ingrained male psyche that resists the idea of a woman taking the lead. Cultural notions of masculinity often discourage men from accepting women’s empowerment, reinforcing the belief that a woman should remain subordinate. Despite these challenges, women continue to assert their rights, gaining access to opportunities, resources, and control over their own lives. However, cultural constructs of masculinity frequently resist these shifts, striving to maintain traditional power structures and gender hierarchies.
Works Cited
Vassanji, M.G. No
New Land.McClelland&Stewart Ltd.,1994
Vassanji, M.G. No
New Land. Penguin Books, 1992.
Achebe, Chinua. Things
Fall Apart. Heinemann Educational Books Ltd.,1958
DeBeauvior, Simone. The
Second Sex. Translated and edited by H. M. Parshley.Vintage Book, 1974
Dayal, Deen. Complexion
Base Discriminations: Global Insights Chennai; Notion Press, 2018.
Birbalsingh, Frank. “South Asian Canadian Writers from
Africa and the Caribbean”. Novels and the
Nation. TSAR Publications, 1995.