The Concept of Idealized Masculinity in Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey

Abstract

The study aims at investigating Rupi Kaur’s idealization of masculinity in her book “Milk and Honey”. The study further envisages Kaur’s usage of patterns for achieving a certain brand of masculinity and her aversion to the rest of them. Rupi Kaur is an Indian born Canadian poet and is the author of poetry books “Milk and Honey” 2014 and “the sun and her flowers” 2017. She is a feminist writer who deplores patriarchy and writes about abuse, trauma and maltreatment of women. She speaks for women empowerment and writes against misogynism. She becomes so emphatic in her stance of idealized masculinity at times that she ignores masculinities in general and starts portraying her ideal brand of it. She has her own versions of fathers, lovers, uncles and doctors. In the course of her book she keeps on piling qualities that men may have in them in order to be ideal and thus acceptable. Those qualities often serve as preconditions for Kaur’s ideal masculinity. Her language becomes so appealing while portraying her ideal masculinity that a sense of persuasion becomes prevalent. The study is qualitative in nature and is carried out through content based analysis with deductive and inductive integration.