Boyz In The Hood

The film Boyz in the Hood addresses the issue of "becoming a man." By juxtaposing the ways that a true man should act with "dangerous" expressions of masculinity, the film promotes a clean-cut view of proper masculinities. When Tre and his friends are children, their different upbringings are emphasized. Tre's father is an extremely strict disciplinarian who emphasizes devotion to schoolwork, housework, and other mental and physical labors in order to keep his son on the right path. As discussed in Karin A. Martin's article "I couldn't ever picture myself having sex...," men having sex is a sign of masculinity. However, when Tre lies and pretends that he had lost his virginity, he receives a strict lecture from his father. Though sex equals masculinity, a true man is responsible and conscientious in his actions. Ricky receives compassion and love from his mother; Doughboy and Chris do not receive parenting but are instead insulted and left without a father figure to guide them. Even at their young age, it is Tre and Ricky who are succeeding - Doughboy and Chris are arrested for shoplifting. Seven years later, the full affects of each character's masculinity is exposed. Tre, who had been taught ethics and the value of working hard, is college-bound. He is intelligent and inspiring; he appears to be the only one who knows the career path he will choose to follow. Ricky is an All-American football player and has a future. However, as the good masculine ideals of power through knowledge had not been instilled in him, he also has a girlfriend and child to support. His portrayal remains positive, though he is made out to be less successful than Tre. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Doughboy, Chris, and their friends are now drug dealing thugs. They had represent the negative, "dangerous" masculinities. Whereas Tre portrays masculine strength and power through his intelligence, these men present masculine ferocity and aggression through physical force. The characters who die by the end of the movie are the ones who have been exposed to this negative masculinity. Ricky only dapples in aggression, but it soon after leads to his death.

Tre's father often emphasizes the role of a Black man. He says that there is no place for a Black man in the army and other governmental institutions. Thus, African Americans need to form their own masculinities by making their own. They need to protect their own communities and emphasize improvements within themselves. Black men have suffered for centuries, and it is up to them to defy this repression and become successful members of society. Thus, Black men have to be even stronger, mentally and physically, to break through the wall of oppression that they face.

Women characters are portrayed as supplements to the males' development of their masculinity. Tre's girlfriend mirrors Tre's success and his focused mentality. She holds true to her Christian morals and values, regardless of peer pressure or what others are doing. Karin A. Martin's article "I couldn't ever picture myself having sex..." discusses how many girls were pressured into having sex and then later regretted it. Girls having sex is often regarded as promiscuous, resulting in the female being labeled as a "slut" or "ho." Tre's girlfriend stuck to her beliefs and did not succumb to any peer pressure from Tre. She seems to be an example of an "outsider-within." Tre's girlfriend lives a stable life, supported by her family and her faith in religion. Unlike the other women in the movie, she is not promiscuous nor drug-addicted and seems to actually desire having a future. Ricky's girlfriend, though completely supportive of his endeavors, reflects his directed yet still slightly irresponsible lifestyle. At about the age of seventeen, she already has a child. However, she accepted responsibility and takes complete care of the child. Some of the mothers are wrecks, including the druggie mother who lets her child run into the street. As a whole, the women characters are passive agents in the film. None of them really further the storyline; some augment the plot but could be disposable characters if necessary.