We Are Called to Rise

Toxic masculinity is defined as “Suppressing emotions or masking distress […] Maintaining an appearance of hardness […] Violence as an indicator of power” (Salam, Maya. “What is Toxic Masculinity?” New York Times, 22 Jan. 2019). From soldiers who suffer from controlling their anger to fathers who abuse their wives to husbands who have affairs with younger women, the men in We Are Called to Rise exemplify how toxic males can ruin lives. Though not always at fault (particularly, Luis and Nate suffer from PTSD), the men in this story are largely responsible for the unhappiness and tragedies of those around them. In their inability to control their emotions—and worse, their refusal to open themselves to help—the men threaten to destroy their families. Mothers must rise to pick up the pieces and keep the families together when men fail to do so.

McBride develops the sense of male hardness from early on, and seemingly all the men must deal with it at some point. There are moments when the characters grapple directly with it, like when Avis wonders, “Nate never did tell us when he was hurt. Where did he get that idea? That he couldn’t tell us if something hurt?” (103).