Chapter 2: Summarizer--Anna

Chapter two, Friendship, chronicles Ned's venture into the world of male camaraderie as he joins a bowling team and observes the conversations and behaviors a group of like-minded guys share when they are away from their wives and families. Ned details his initial insecurities, fears, thoughts and first impressions of the men, but soon his judgements wore off and he grew a tight bond with these men-- telling stories, cracking jokes, and even occasionally sharing feelings (very briefly, but it happened nonetheless). Ned was "one of the guys"; he considered the guys as more than just teammates but as close confidents. Eventually he fessed up and admitted that he was a woman. To his surprise they were not angry but accepted and enjoyed him as Norah. As a result the bonds between the men strengthened and led to an all-around deeper understanding of gender and sex.


First off, this chapter is remarkable because it recounts Ned's first "real life" encounter with others while disguised as a man. But what struck me as particularly significant is just how keenly she observed, and in turn, how truthfully she reported her findings. Vincent paints a picture in the minds of the readers making it easy for us to imagine the shabby bowling alley-- smell of cigarette smoke, the sounds of crashing pins, and the clumsy yet loving rapport forming between Ned and the others. She approached the matter with an ironic twist. In her quest to crack into the minds of these simple-minded men--to "figure them out" or perhaps further her preconceived judgements--the men actually taught Vincent a lesson. She concludes the chapter with some heavy introspection, admitting feeling silly and even a little guilty after the bowling season ended. "They had taken me in, and I had deceived them," she reflects with a dash of shame. But despite feeling like "a shithead" and "arrogant prick know-it-all", she found consolation and gratitude in the fact that she had found true, lifelong friends--an indication that the male brotherhood really isn't entirely exclusive or macho, but a gift to be cherished.

Chapter 2: Discussion Leader - Sarah Tyrrell

1.) On page 25, Vincent talks about her first meeting with Jim, the bowling team captain, and the handshake they share: "From the outside, this ritual had always seemed overdone to me. Why all the macho ceremony? But from the inside it was completely different. There was something so warm and bonded in this handshake. Receiving it was a rush, an instant inclusion in a camaraderie that felt very old and practiced." Do male handshakes really mean thi smuch or do you think it was the sense of relief at not being caught that flowed over her?
- If you're meeting someone important or if you're trying to make a connection, then the handshake means a lot, but if its after a sports game or meeting someone you'll probably never see again, it doesn't really mean anything.

2.)On page 32 Vincent says: "Exposing my own prejudices, I had expected these guest to be filled with virulent hatered for anyone who wasn't like them, taking their turn to dkick the next guy down. But the only consistent dislike I ever saw in them was for comparatively wealthy clients..." This seems to be dramatically different from things we hear from many guys our age, why do you think this is?
- Jim, Allen, and Bob all seem like very simple guys, so maybe they actually don't care about anyone else.
-They seem like they have experienced a lot so they can't really judge anyone else.

3.)Page 53: "I guess in me he'd found a 'guy' friend who could understand his foulest thought and impulses...not only because he thought of me as part man, but also because as a woman I'd told him my black thoughts, too." Many people insist that men and woman can't be "just friends." Do you think it's because of the sexual tension Vincent mentions earlier in the chapter or just psychological thing? Are Vincent and Jim such close friends because she's gay?
- A lot of it is sexual tension
- If he met her initially as Norah, they wouldn't be as close of friends

Chapter 2 Graphic Organizer-Casey Mesner

In chapter 2, Vincent joins an all male bowling league where she explores the differences in how males and females interact. She discovers that both genders tend to stereotype against one another; however many of the common stereotypes are not true. Vincent found that men are more attuned to each other and communicate at a more subtle level, yet they appear to be more sincere and giving to their peers. In contrast, women are much more emotional with their friends, but they strive for competition and they are less keen on helping others improve, or pointing out something good, because they do not want to admit their jealousy.

Chapter 1 Vocabulary Builder-Casey Mesner

1. Willowy (pg 2): the act of being sharp, witty, subtle, smart or keen.

2. Bodega (pg 2): a store, or warehouse, for storing aging wine.

3. Intrepid (pg 4): resolutely fearless or dauntless.

4. Malingerer (pg 6): someone who pretends to be ill or incapable, in order to shirk one's duty.

5. Impetus (pg 7): an impelling movement or force; incentive or impulse; stimulus.

6. Ragamuffin (pg 7): a ragged, disreputable person.

7. Abhor (pg 11): to regard with extreme repugnance or aversion.

8. Verisimilitude (pg 13): something, as an assertion, having merely the appearance of truth.

9. Torrential (pg 14): overwhelming, or extraordinarily copious.

10. Myopic (pg 17): unable or unwilling to act prudently; shortsighted.

Chapter One: Summary - Erik Maanum

In this first chapter of Self-Made Man by Norah Vincent, Vincent starts by giving readers a look into her past when the idea of imposing as a male alter ego first came began. During her youth, Vincent always had more masculine features then other girls and the idea of being a man intrigued her. She then explains the process of how she made this alter ego of Ned, Ned being a childhood nickname for her “tomboy” features, come to life. Norah shares with readers her past experiences in her youth that serve as inspiration for her experimental appearance change and also background to help readers understand her intentions. She breaks down every part of her transition into man-hood in order of physical, mental, and emotional changes; then she tells the story of the journey that accompanied each of these changes. Vincent ends the chapter by explaining the purpose of her experiment and gives a breakdown of the book’s chapters in hopes that the readers will read and understand the book in a specific way. Vincent does not become a man for common stereotypes of homosexuality, but for curiosity of the social and emotional aspects that the male race acquires at birth. In her final words written in chapter one, Vincent explains how the study affected her outside of character, the price for the deceptions she created.

There are multiple objectives that author Norah Vincent writes chapter one to serve. She uses the chapter to explain that her journey to manhood was an experiment to understand how gender affects social and emotional aspects of life, an area of interest of Norah. Vincent also explains the events leading up to the idea of her experiment, and the journey of her transformation into a male appearance. The final thoughts of this chapter are written as almost a guide on how to interpret Norah’s journey. The chapter has a very serious tone. I believe Vincent used this tone to help readers understand the professional aspect of this experiment.

Chapter 1: Discussion Questions--Anna

1.) Directly preceding page one of the first chapter there are two short excerpts from Shakespeare plays, Twelfth Night and As You Like It. Why do you think Vincent chose these particular literary works and what significance do they serve?

Vincent probably chose these two Shakespearean plays because they are excellent, smart, credible sources which express similar themes and ideas as her story. She is drawing parallels from history and old literature, reinforcing the idea that gender bending and disguise trace back to ancient times.
In Twelfth Night disguises and clothing changes are central to the plot. In the story two characters disguise their genders--Molvolia as a woman and the well-known example of Viola who leads everyone to believe that she is really a man, much like Vincent does in Self-Made Man. Part of the excerpt reads, "but this my masculine upsurped attire.../conceal me what I am, and be my aid/ For such disguise as haply shall become/ The form of my intent..." Shakespeare, like Vincent, raises questions of gender reversal and identity, questioning whether or not disguise can be achieved merely through outer appearance or through greater mental conditioning.
In As You Like It, Shakespeare writes the story of heroine Rosalind, an independent, strong-willed young woman who uses her charm and cleverness to disguise herself as Ganymede, a handsome young man, thereby transcending society's boundaries and expectations of men and women's assigned roles. Rosalind experiences the anxiety and ambiguity that comes along with gender similarly to what Vincent discovers through her social experiment.

2.) Vincent noted that the most significant and odd part of the experiment was not the attention she received dressed as a man, but rather the lack of comments, stares and interaction. Do you believe that Vincent’s reasoning behind the inevitable stares women receive in her neighborhood is a practice of dominance and entitlement or simply a natural biological impulse?

Her reasoning is most likely a combination of both. While it is a reality that man possesses a natural biological impulse to find a suitable partner with whom he can mate, it could be overly-simplistic to say that all stares are a direct indication of male chauvinism and dominion. It's important to consider a number of other factors such as the social and class status of the neighborhood in which Vincent resides. As the token male in our group, Eric attested that personally, he doesn't consciously try to assert dominance while interacting with women, yet he acknowledges that biological attraction plays a part in all male-female interaction.


3.) Dressed as a man, Vincent noted the lack of eye contact and acknowledgement with other men on the street and deemed it “disrespectful” and “rude”. She writes, “to look away is to accept the status quo, to leave each man to his tiny sphere of influence, the small buffer of pride and poise that surrounds him and keeps him.” Do you agree that generally men maintain this peaceful “code of behavior” or that they are equally as confrontational when interacting with each other? Why do you think men act differently among women?

We agreed upon the fact that most human beings--not just men--seem to hold a certain personal buffer zone which allows people to keep to themselves. Holding eye contact for prolonged periods of time is deemed strange for both genders, unless there is a reason to be staring (something is out of the norm). However, when people are engaging with members of the same gender, there are definite distinctions. For example, a pair of (assumingly heterosexual) men conversing, laughing and drinking at a bar would probably alter their behavior or body language if a woman joined them (may become more tame, smooth, competitive, egotistical, etc) compared to if a man had joined them. This may be because they are nervous or want to impress the other sex.


4.) How do you think Vincent’s childhood and upbringing affected her personal gender identity? Do you think she would have so enthusiastically agreed to this experiment if she hadn't grown up as a tom boy? Why or why not?

On page 16, Vincent reveals, "As my childhood proclivities can attest, I have always been and remain fascinated, puzzled and even disturbed at times by gender...I have always lived as my truest self somewhere on the boundary between masculine and feminine..." A self-professed "hard core tomboy", Norah was the type of girl who cringed at the thought of pink, ruffles and dresses, and instead had an innate affinity towards GI Joes and hiking boots. It's difficult to pinpoint if her upbringing affected her sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Possibly she was influenced by growing up with two brothers? Perhaps she had imitated her mother who often played the parts of a man? As a lesbian, Vincent has questioned her sexuality and gender during her years of development. She first got the idea to disguise herself as a man by dressing in drag on the streets of New York City. It is likely that her upbringing and general interest in gender did, indeed, affect her decision to feign a year and a half of her life as a male.

Chap. 1: Graphic Organizer - Sarah Tyrrell

The main points of Chapter 1 dealt with Vincent's identity and giving an explanation as to why she is doing this experiment. Vincent spent a while explaining who she was and how she dressed in drag one night and noticed all the differences of being a man in her neighborhood instead of being a woman walking down the street. After she decided to make her new alter-ego and explained how she was going to make herself look like a man, she was very elaborate in the description of how she picked the name of Ned: as a child she identified with boys better than the girls around her so her brother and his friends gave her the nickname of Ned. Vincent's preview of who she is and how she identifies herself is extremely important later in the book when she is portraying Ned.