Travels with Charley Theme of Men and Masculinity

In Travels with Charley, Steinbeck is a bit of an enigma when it comes his views on masculinity. On the one hand, he seems kind of traditional when he first broaches the subject, since he's getting crusty about the whole idea of slowing down with age (which he thinks would make him "soft"). Hey, we're modern folks at Shmoop, so we don't necessarily associate being gentle or "soft" with being unmanly, but Steinbeck certainly does.

That said, he makes fun of some of the more traditional stereotypical demonstrations of being manly, like hunting, fishing, and fist-fighting, so he's not hung up on appearing "manly" on those fronts. Oh, and then there's the fact that drives across the entire U.S. with a French poodle as his passenger, which is arguably not the most stereotypically "manly" thing a guy could do. So, we're kind of unsure exactly what Steinbeck's definition of being "a man" includes or doesn't include. He seems to have firm ideas; they're just not necessarily what you would expect.

1. Why does Steinbeck make such a big deal about being a manly man at the beginning of the book, when he spends a lot of time otherwise making fun of macho behavior? What does masculinity mean to him?
2. Steinbeck's friend challenges him to find a real man during his travels. Does Steinbeck find one? Does Steinbeck himself fit the bill?
3. Steinbeck seems to think that manliness—or just toughness in general—is kind of under attack or in decline in America during that time. What do you think he means by that? Do you agree, based on what he observes or tells us about? Is toughness the same thing as masculinity to him? How can you tell?

For all of Steinbeck's bluster about being manly, he's not about mere chest-thumping. He just believes in standing up for what's important to you. And for him, that means writing and traveling and living large—like he always has.

Steinbeck is just plain inconsistent in his thoughts about masculinity. Sometimes he's all about it, and other times he's making fun of the way other guys express their dude-ness. Really, he just seems to judge anyone negatively whose definition of being manly doesn't fit with his own.