Miguel Street Manly Quotes

What makes a man? In V.S. Naipaul’s, Miguel Street, a fundamental question that is present throughout the book is, what makes a man? As he writes about the fortunes, misfortunes, and stories of all the people on Miguel Street, V.S. Naipaul continually raises the question of what is a man and how does he act. While most males succeed at being “manly” on Miguel Street, they all fail at doing the one thing that defines a man. While in contemporary society it is flipped. The men of Miguel Street act manly. They smoke, they drink, they beat women, and they talk about sports, all things considered to be “manly” on Miguel Street. “Women and them like a good dose of blows, you know” (111). This quote is Nathaniel, a new man on the street, talking about beating his wife. Although it is later discovered that his wife beats him, he says this so the other men will think he’s manly. Another example of manliness is drinking. A man tells the narrator, “You must get over this. Drink it like medicine. Hold your nose and close your eyes” (215). He is referring

This is the one thing that all men alike are supposed to have, and that is determination. However, all the men fail to keep theirs. Popo, a carpenter on the street, spent months trying to build the thing without a name, but he too fails. “ ‘Mr. Popo when you going to start making the thing without a anme again?’ he growled at me. ‘You too troublesome,’ he said. ‘Go away quick, before I lay my hand on you’ ” (25). This quote illustrates Popo’s loss of determination for building the thing without a name. There are many examples. B. Wordsworth fails to complete his poem, Elias fails to become a doctor, Man-Man lost the election and couldn’t carry out his crucifixion, and Big Foot failed at boxing. Miguel Street males act manly, but when it comes down to it, most of them aren’t real