The Main Character's Hardships

Use this forum to discuss the January 2020 Book of the month, "Man Mission: 4 men, 15 years, 1 epic journey", by Eytan Uliel.
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Manas Ranjan Mishra
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Re: The Main Character's Hardships

Post by Manas Ranjan Mishra »

I agree with the fact. And indeed I felt all the tasks he had done is to show the society,for which I have mixed reactions.
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Post by fire_spice »

Charlyt wrote: 03 Jan 2020, 01:27 What do you think was/were the main reason/s for the main character's depression towards the latter part of the book?
For me, I think it was the expectations for him to be a man in a society where it is expected for men to be strong physically and emotionally.
I think it was the fact that he was thinking of everyone, doing things for everyone and passing over his own needs. I think too Rachel's hostility and lack of understanding, coupled with the stress of work which made him feel trapped led to his getting depressed.
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Post by Maris Charles M »

There were various reasons for his depression. The responsibilites and expectations that comes with being a man. Making career decisions and even the personal fears too.
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Post by Agbata precious »

Laura Lee wrote: 03 Jan 2020, 07:03 I think you're right that the protagonist's depression was initiated by a sense that he had to be strong and couldn't show any weakness. Then, as life got harder and more complicated, the stress just increased. Later, of course, after cheating on his wife and the subsequent loss of his marriage, the depression was compounded by feelings of guilt for what he'd done to his wife, his marriage and his kids. I think there was a great deal of both guilt and remorse which made his depression even worse.
I so much agree with this
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Post by Cocobutta »

I think it stemmed from toxic masculinity and what he believed society expected from him. The fact that he felt he had no one to talk to about it made it much worse.
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Post by Marsha JJ »

I got the sense that his emotional challenges were in part because he felt boxed in. His life was organized around providing for others, and I got the sense he felt trapped. Later, his loneliness was a factor as well. Societal pressures had something to do with it, definitely.
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Post by IbrahimOtegbade »

You are right. The main reason is the expectation of the society.
It is ironic that despite the men's many travels to ease their minds and find peace in life, they come back home to meet their burdens. It is true that they all end well, but they don't realise that their main problem is trying to meet the expectation ls of the society.
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Post by Obi Egbuniwe »

His failed marriage and his constant search for meaning and identity are the factors I would say caused him to develop depression.
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Post by Clare Jose »

There were probably multiple reasons. It could have been triggered by the loss of his family and his feelings of guilt. Questions about his identity and his changing perception of himself could have also played a role. Most of all, I think it was caused by a sense of helplessness when he realized he had been merely maintaining a facade.
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Post by Moo Reny »

The main character is flawed though he showed the struggles men face.
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Post by Not available anymore »

I think separation from his wife had a huge toll on him.
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Post by Adeolaoskydeelight »

I believe that his depression was brought on by several different things. The demands of society's expectations of what a man should be, his guilt over his affair, his sense of having let his wife and kids down, and his inability to forgive himself
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Post by Chimezie Agbata »

Shabram22 wrote: 08 Jan 2020, 05:30 I think that what happened to the main character is just life... Life happens to everyone. The hardships piled on top of each other because he never resolved the problems but thought that if he just goes on his annual "man Mission" his problems would somehow disappear. Everything is preventable. But the book made me more aware that lots of men probably feel this way and are afraid of life but even more afraid to look weak and admit that they have fears.

I really started to enjoy the main character when he finally started to accept who he was and stopped being afraid to admit his weaknesses to his friends.
Very good point I agree with you on this one.
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Post by Charles lib »

I think it goes back to toxic masculinity and rules like "he who whines loudest wears the pink bracelet". Both in society and his friend group, the main protagonist never let himself be truly emotionally open. And that's a huge factor in situational depression. (Though we should not discount brain chemistry issues which cause depression regardless of outside factors.
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Post by NutellaBanana »

I don't think it's just the expectations of the society, I also feel that something about making his family life work out and career life really made him struggle.
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