Masculinity in Nepali Diaspora Stories

This article analyzes the construction of masculinity in the anthology Paradesahkaa Kathaa (Stories of a Foreign Country). The stories “Amerikan Pasaport” (American Passport), “Pijjaa Delibharee” (Pizza Delivery), “Diportesana” (Deportation), and “Deshabhaktta” (A Patriot) depict the struggles of male characters in the host country, America. The main aspect of their struggle is maintaining the image of a successful man, as they consider failure to be effeminate. As immigrants, they are doubly burdened because these male characters must construct their identity through their actions. On the one hand, they feel pressured to build a personality that aligns with the attributes required to be a resident of a foreign land. On the other hand, they must assert their manliness by performing the socially assigned roles of a responsible father, son, husband, a successful individual, and provider for their family. The central argument of this article is that masculinity is a constructed entity. The male characters in these stories form their masculinity through their performances. These characters reassert the socially accepted definition of what it means to be a man or a woman. To support this argument, Connell’s theory of masculinity is used to analyze the texts. Connell argues that conventional masculinity harms men, who are caught up in a systematically constructed limitation due to their prescribed gender roles. According to Connell, under social instruction and pressure, men actively construct their masculinities, which leads to repression while performing masculinity. The goal of this article is to analyze the condition of Nepali males residing in America. It concludes that since patriarchy buries them under the unbearable burden of masculinity, happiness and peace are lost in the lives of the male characters in these stories.