Abstract:
From the mid-1980s, studies on men and masculinities have seen a steady growth.
Literary studies have applied the theory of masculinities in research and come up
with interesting findings that prove art forms as a true reflection of society (Ennin,
2013, 2014; Sam, 2016). Similarly, as texts that were produced in or about true
African places, the novels selected in this research present more than just their
narrative content. These texts talk about issues of masculinities germane to the
African man by showing how men remain men, and the ever-changing
configuration of what it means to be a man. I show in this research, how men
perform their masculinities based on changes in setting and social status. This
research argues that setting and social status are huge determinants in the way
men act, and shows how men try to align themselves to social constructs of
masculinities to their detriment. Setting and social status are therefore used to
show how men endeavor to adhere to such social constructs and what the negative
effects of such attempts to adhere reveal about the workings of masculinity.
