It is quite often that that the men in the show are seen as the epitome of what it is to be manly. They are rough, they are tough, and they get the job done. It hasn’t been since the Sopranos aired that “a gang of such sweaty, beef-eating, face-punching, strip-clubbing outlaws” has taken over the small screen (The Manliest Man Show). The sight of them club members traveling all together, wearing matching kutte’s is seen as the image of what a man should strive to be in the small town of Charming. These men are able to protect their town and their families, for the most part, quite easily because of this almost intimidation.
M a s c u l i n i t y
FX
Kurt Sutter.
When the club was founded in a post-Vietnam War era, many of the men could not find work after returning to the states, and even fewer were accepted into college. Two men who served in Vietnam together, John Teller and Piney Winston, took it upon themselves to find a way to make themselves feel better about their situation, and manlier. They established the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original, in an attempt to do just that. As founding members, they searched for others to be a part of this new organization. They found seven more members and were then able to actually be a club, in the respect of numbers, they called themselves the First 9. Most of these first nine members were veterans and having the same sort of trouble that John and Piney were. The club provided them with a way to feel masculine again, and feel as if they had a purpose. They began to run guns for other organizations and the money began to flow in.
Kurt Sutter.
Because of their popularity in the town, the Sons are able to have what they call prospects. They’ve had these since the beginning of the club, but now they are able to have more at one time, and more people that want to actually put in the effort. A prospect is someone who has expressed interest in being in the club, and has proven in some way that they are worthy. A member of the club will sponsor them and a prospect with be able to spend time with the club, mostly doing small tasks that the members tell them to. This work is usually what is considered “women’s work,” like cleaning around the club and sometimes cooking for members. This is used as a way to see how strong and tough the prospects are. The members wish to see how much embarrassment they can take before letting them into the club, and one way to embarrass them is to emasculate them.
FX
FX
The men in the club treat each other as brothers, commonly calling each other that as a word of affection. It is obvious that the men are very close, having been through a lot with one another, many of which were near death situations. The men frequently hug each other when they first see each other after a long time apart or hug each other when they are parting ways, especially if one of them is going to a dangerous situation. This isn’t something that only happens within SOA though, members of other clubs do the same, and at times members from different clubs will hug each other, adding even more to the shock of it. No one ever questions their masculinity because of this, though. They aren’t looked down upon for acting in this way that isn’t usually seen as manly or masculine. They embrace it, because at the end of the day, they do really care for and love the members of their clubs, or at least they pretend to.
FX
On the other end of the spectrum, they members of the club are also very prone to violence. They are quick to jump to violence as a way to resolve issues. These fights don’t only happen between the Sons and other clubs, but also between themselves and their brothers. When they have a disagreement over some decision being voted on, they are quick to throw punches, and sometimes even quick to grab a gun and threaten a brother with it. There are many occasions throughout the seven seasons that a SOA member threatens another with a gun, and a few times that they actually act upon this threat and kill their own brother. They men in the show are “explosive” and they aren’t afraid to show it (The Manliest Man Show). During their times in prison, they quickly make friends or enemies based on the alliances that they can form. During a stay in prison, Jax was stabbed three times by the Russian Mafia as a retaliation for something the club didn’t agree to.
Though the men in the show can be some of the most loving, stand up men when they need to be, they definitely can be at the complete opposite end when they are angry or do not get their way.
Youtube