The paper argues for a profeminist approach to African American male characters, suggesting that more traditional literary approaches do not offer a necessary and nuanced reading of African American male characters, where their masculinities are problematized. It operates on the assumption that African American masculinities are one of the most troubled masculinities and are therefore deserving of further scrutiny in literary texts. It argues further that the very basis for profeminist views, feminist theories, point to a necessary and elucidating way of reading texts where issues of race, gender, and the cost of one's place in a patriarchal society converge.
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