Autobiography of My Dead Brother Men and Masculinity Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

"Yeah, well, he went out like a man," Rise said.

"Yo, Rise, the brother got wasted in a drive-by," I said. (1.19-1.20)

Rise seems to equate violence with manliness, but Jesse calls him on it. Getting shot in a drive-by isn't a "manly" way to go—it's senseless and random and terrible.

Quote #2

"Eventually you reach manhood, then you got to go through or turn around and go back," [said Rise.]

"This isn't about manhood," C.J. said. "This is about crime." (2.43-2.44)

Rise says that supporting Mason is the manly thing to do—he really seems to equate masculinity with violence—and this time C.J. calls him out. Committing crimes isn't manly; it's just breaking the law.

Quote #3

Rise had always been taller than me […]. Then last year I saw that I had caught up with him and could look him right in the eye. I stood next to him and he saw what was going on, but just sniffed at me and said I still didn't smell like a man. (3.25)

The "old" Rise felt comfortable joking about masculinity, but now he seems to take it super seriously. He tries to knock Jesse down a notch when he senses him becoming his physical equal.