I've thought a lot in the last few years about manhood and the less than impressive state of masculinity in North American culture. A friend who knows that recommended a book to me called
Iron John by Robert Bly.
In it Bly retells and analyzes the Grimm Brothers' story of Iron John. I'm normally skeptical of works that seek to decode the symbolism of a story, but Bly is convincing. He draws on mythology, psychology and anthropology to explain the fairy tale.
Briefly, the story begins when a hunter drains a lake by the King's castle and finds lying on the lake bottom a man covered in hair the colour of rust. This Wild Man, who they call Iron John, is bound and brought to the King, who locks him in an iron cage in the courtyard and gives the key to the Queen. Later, the prince is playing with his golden ball when it rolls into the iron cage. He asks Iron John for the ball and the Wild Man says he will give it back if the boy sets him free. The boy is scared and refuses. He comes back the next day, the Wild Man makes the same offer, the boy runs again. Finally, on the third day he steals the key from his mother and sets the Wild Man free. As Iron John is about to leave, the boy says that he can't go because his father will beat him. Iron John picks up the boy and takes him with him.
From here the Wild Man guides the boy through many years to manhood.
If that thumbnail sketch intrigues you at all, you should go
here and read the full text of the story. It's short and very powerful. Or maybe I just find it very powerful because I bought Bly's book yesterday and in a little over 24 hours read all 249 pages of Bly's extensive explanation of all the symbols woven into the story.
I'm still digesting it all, but I'd definitely recommend it.
