In twentieth-century American literature, portrayals of masculinity reflected cultural and economic changes. Land exploration, wars, inventions, and technology have had profound effects on the cultural and economic climate in the United States, which in turn directly affected all people, but most significantly men, who for centuries were viewed as the stronger gender and the source for society's sustenance---whether through hunting and gathering, farming, or artisan occupations. The focus of this thesis is on the social constructs of masculinity as portrayed in twentieth-century literature and viewed through the lens of David Leverenz's concepts of manhood, depicting how his theories, applied to works of the Romantic period, are also relevant to works in other time periods. Jack London's The Sea-Wolf and William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom! explore the extent to which humiliation influences male characters' motives, decisions, activities, and, ultimately, the results of their actions. Male characters such as Wolf Larsen from The Sea-Wolf and Thomas Sutpen from Absalom, Absalom! exhibit dominance through their selfish and violent actions as a mechanism to constantly prove their manhood.
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