Characteristics of the Fresh Masculinity Paradigm

From numerous discussions with male grown-ups and adolescents throughout the decades, I have gradually managed to understand what unites Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter and Himura Kenshin in their status as symbols of a fresh, “enlightened” masculinity, challenging old patterns of relating between men and the world around them. In spite of belonging to very different plot backgrounds stretching diverse universes (Star Wars is a science-fiction oeuvre, Harry Potter takes place in present-day Great Britain, Rurouni Kenshin is temporally located in 1878, at the dawn of Japan’s modernization), they share ten major characteristics, derived from the nine “masks” of classic masculinity detailed previously and overcoming their historically sanctioned validity. They develop these features in the course of their life-stories, while building their own identities as men and human beings.

1. The first common element is the fact that they all come from unprivileged social strata, without having known their biological parents. They are raised by foster parents, either friendly and warm or unpleasant and abusive, or by fellow slaves. Very early on, they learn the importance of independence and of relying on themselves, while searching for support in times of need. By finding solace in themselves, Luke, Harry and Kenshin are able to offer to those around them the authentic warmth of a generous heart, without expecting anything in return.
   
   
2. The second common feature is a major sacrifice, voluntary or not, which marks the beginning of their lives or of their development: the killing of Luke’s uncle Owen and aunt Beru by imperial storm-troopers, the killing of Harry’s parents by Voldemort, the killing of the young fellow slaves Akane, Kasumi and Sakura, who had taken care of the 7-year old Shinta (later Kenshin), by bandits. The grief of that original loss is both a catalyst of change and a strong motivation to grow-up and to learn the skills necessary to seek revenge: their initiation journeys are equally about choosing the nature of their motivation and fulfilling their destinies as exceptional individuals.
   
   
3. Related to this, their progress is powerfully channeled by influential role-models, who take over the task of training them: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda, Dumbledore and Sirius, Hiko Seijûrô XIII. However, at some point in the course of their evolution those very masters and their teachings turn into the greatest challenge the main characters have to overcome, so that they become the functional, responsible, self-reliant adults they are supposed to be.
   
   
4. In a direct consequence of the existence of overwhelmingly compelling role-models, during their early evolution, Luke, Harry and Kenshin find a few male friends, who serve as supporters and discussion partners, and who play a fundamental role in the main character’s ability to reach his ultimate potential. While these friends themselves are more often than not outcasts of some sort with quite shady backgrounds and personalities, they help highlight the various sides of the structure of the main character, and thus essentially contribute to his own growth. Han Solo, for instance, is anything but a positive figure with his constant selfish bragging; Ronald Weasley, plagued by his insecurities and doubts, is not a symbol of coolness either; Sagara Sanosuke stands out negatively with his tantrums and tempers – but they are loyal and they care for their friends, even when they cannot understand their struggles.
   
   
5. The fifth common element constitutes the fact that only one female main character is present in the plots of the franchises and in the lives of these heroes: she serves as energetic counter-act to the male-dominated narrative line and environment. She brings in the warmth and stability regularly associated with femininity, on the one hand, and the goal-orientedness and clarity of inter-gender relationships, on the other hand. Leia Organa, Hermione Granger, Kamiya Kaoru are different in terms of their personalities: Leia Organa is cool and self-possessed and able to lead a whole rebellion in the name of justice and freedom; Hermione Granger is smart and hard-working, and develops into a calm, courageous, open-minded young lady; Kaoru is self-confident and assertive, and knows how to make a difference in the lives of those around her. They deliver balancing energy in relation to their numerous male counterparts, and deeply impact the evolution of the main male character.
   
   
6. In opposition to this, the arch-enemies of the protagonists – Darth Vader, Voldemort, Shishio Makoto – prove, eventually, to be their negative alter-ego, their “shadow” (“der Schatten” in Jungian terms), that part of themselves which needs most urgently to be accepted and possibly replaced with positive, strong, kind elements, thoughts and emotions. This is an inevitable segment of their journey towards maturity as human beings of integrity and authentic love.
   
   
7. Derived from such a necessity to face one’s abyss of evil in order to emerge as a kind, warm human being stays the fact that none of them kills his arch-enemy by himself: in the logic of the plot, this detail protects them from turning into self-made murderers, even in the name of a noble cause. There are always additional elements which contribute to the annihilation of the main antagonist, in themselves highly controversial personalities with a troubled past, who deserve, in fact, the compassion of the audiences (an important element which significantly challenges old-fashioned visions of good and evil as black-and-white appearances).
   
   
8. It is important to mention, as an eight feature shared by Luke, Harry and Kenshin, that their evolution is motivated by curiosity and by the selfless desire to help those in need and, if possible, to repent for former mistakes and murders (in Kenshin’s case). It is this selflessness, which, eventually, saves each of them. Their ambition is driven by a profound sense of justice, and even though there are moments of doubt and self-questioning, the temptation of power for the sake of one’s own benefits never really enters the game.
   
   
9. Because they had never known a family of their own, they all long intensively, painfully for belonging and acceptance. Their need to protect those they love becomes, ultimately, their weakest spot, mercilessly exploited by enemies to orchestrate their downfall. Paradoxically, though, it is precisely this soft spot, their innate yearning for love and togetherness, that makes them humane amidst their exceptionality. After overcoming distress and loneliness, the immense responsibility of rescuing the world and terminating the evil without turning into murderers themselves, this soft spot of innate kindness and authentic warmth brings them back into the community of regular humans and helps them grasp the unique chance of integration among others.
   
   
10. Lastly, a purely technical common feature is the instrument with which they fight: light-sabers, magic wands and samurai swords. They are all manual tools, all of them phallic symbols of masculine power, which require confidence in one’s own physical strength, lengthy training, humbling awareness of one’s own limitations as well as the unmediated confrontation with a potentially far more powerful adversary.
    
    

Starting from major features of traditionally transmitted models of masculinity, Luke, Harry and Kenshin challenge and re-define them into strategies of strength and love, with courage and compassion at the core of their identities. For centuries, and possibly millennia, patterns of masculine perception and development (provide, protect, procreate, on the one hand; overcome and achieve, on the other hand) have dominated the educational narrative of progress and knowledge. Recent decades, though, have seen a deep-going shift in the fundamental metrics of promoting, propagating and implementing fresh structures of living and interacting, based on cooperation and compassion, instead of competition and efficiency. Due to their complex inner intertwining of creative visions and “fan service”, Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter and Himura Kenshin, as human symbols rather than as characters, deliver a clear, urgent call-for-action and initiative in “here and now”, critically counter-pointing current tendencies to mechanize, virtualize and digitalize human interactions.