A novel by the Canadian author and journalist Richard Wagamese, “Starlight” is a fictional tale that entails various aspects of life such as love’s redemptive power, compassion, mercy, and the earth’s healing capabilities. Richard Wagamese wrote the unfinished novel just before his untimely death; the novel is rendered unfinished as it lives readers in suspense. The storyline follows an abused woman, Emily, who is on the run together with her child, Winnie, from her ex-boyfriend Jeff Cadotte, who was abusive. Fortunately, Emily and Winnie find a refugee with an indigenous man named Frank Starlight, who had offers to help them get back on their feet by giving Emily a job on his farm as a housekeeper; they eventually grow close, becoming a real family as Frank Starlight and Emily fall in love. Therefore, as the two male characters represent two different aspects of masculinity, there is a need to compare Frank Starlight as a “natural” man, with Jeff Cadotte as an embodiment of toxic masculinity.
Frank Starlight
In the tale, Frank Starlight lives on his farm in B.C.’s heart with Roth’s hired help. From the story’s commencement, Frank Starlight is represented by the author as an illustration of the ideal man as his habitual features embody the universal perception of a “natural” man. Firstly, the author states that Frank Starlight is not a stranger to working because he is continually consumed with daily farm chores, determined to make an honest day’s pay (Wagamese, 2018). Frank Starlight’s hardworking characteristic is the universally accepted notion of the ideal man; cultures and traditions worldwide paint men as work creatures. Only by working hard can a man truly show he is a “natural” man.
Secondly, the author describes Frank Starlight as a man of few words. In the fictional tale, when Starlight talks to Deacon about what he does, the author states, “Frank Starlight, who is normally a man of few words, says to Deacon that he really can’t explain what he does” (Wagamese, 2018). In most global cultures, men are seen as creatures that talk less compared to their female counterparts. Hence, Frank Starlight’s few words nature can be analyzed as a characteristic embodying what is perceived as an authentic “natural” man.
Furthermore, a true “natural” man is one that continually wants to improve his life. In “Starlight,” the author depicts Frank Starlight as the ideal man on a quest to better his life. For instance, in the story, Frank Starlight is depicted as not just a farmer, but a good photographer, who sells his extraordinary pictures to a local gallery owner named Deacon; his pictures are so good that Deacon constantly requests Starlight to spread his wings and head to Vancouver to mount an exhibition before a broader audience range (Wagamese, 2018). Frank Starlight’s characteristics of juggling two kinds of work illustrate a determined man who wants to better his life; this a worldwide accepted idea of the feature of a “natural” man.
Ideally, a “natural” man is one with several hobbies that also exhibit courageousness. Frank Starlight is exhibited as such a man because he has various hobbies like wildlife photography. Additionally, the author states that Starlight has an innate love for nature, and he is neither scared to venture into the forest to talk with animals nor be alone in the forest (Wagamese, 2018). The features can be evaluated as an illustration of a “natural” man as the universally accepted idea of a man is not afraid of anything. Moreover, a “natural” man is willing to offer a helping hand to anyone in need. Frank Starlight exhibits the feature when he offers Emily and her child refugee on his farm from her abusive ex, who had tortured her terribly (wagamese, 2018). Therefore, Frank Starlight’s courageousness and helpful nature vividly identify him as the universally accepted notion of a “natural” man.
Jeff Cadotte
The term toxic masculinity refers to the hypocritical ideology whereby the accepted masculinity image is turned into a harmful and aspirational notion. In “Starlight,” Jeff Cadotte was Emily’s ex-boyfriend with whom she had lived for three years (Wagamese, 2018). The author paints Jeff Cadotte as an embodiment of toxic masculinity as he exhibits several features of the notion. Firstly, for any man to be viewed as an embodiment of toxic masculinity, they illustrate a disturbingly dominant nature; the man is to be preoccupied with vague notions of power and dominance to the point that it becomes harmful. Dominance gradually develops into aggression, particularly against a woman. In the story, the author states that Emily and her child, Winnie, decided to run away as Jeff was physically abusive toward her; Emily tells Jeff Cadote that she is tired of being beaten and hiding from people on the count of bruises on her body (Wagamese, 2018). Thus, the dominant and aggressive nature of Jeff Cadote against women is evidence of a man illustrating toxic masculinity.
Moreover, toxic masculinity is evident through violence and being anti-feminist. The author, through Emily, states that Jeff Cadote surrounds himself with friends who are crude, violent, loggerheaded, dim, prone to fights and brawls, and they have an indecipherable bond forged by fury and garrulous talk about women; also during their search for Emily, Anderson, Jeff Cadote’s closest friend, states he is worried that Cadotte is getting worse with each passing day (Wagamese, 2018). Besides, Jeff Cadote continually uses profanity whenever he addresses Emily. During the escape, Emily got caught by Jeff Cadotte, and he asks her, “You robbin’ me, bitch?’ (Wagamese, 2018). This shows Cadote’s toxic nature as he neither has respect for his girlfriend nor shows any caregiving nature for Emily and her daughter. Most toxic masculinity characters are risk-takers due to their void notion of male masculinity; this is illustrated by Cadotte, who abuses alcohol, smokes, and decides to go across the nation searching for Emily for vengeance (Wagamese, 2018). Hence, Cadotte is truly an embodiment of toxic masculinity, evident by his violent, uncaring, profanity, and risk-taking characteristics.
Conclusion
“Starlight” is a fictional novel by the late Canadian author and journalist Richard Wagamese. The story entails Emily, and her daughter Winnie, who ran away from Jeff Cadotte, Emily’s abusive ex-boyfriend; they find refuge in Frank Starlight’s farmhouse. The two male protagonists, starlight and Cadotte, illustrate two masculinity notions, respectively: the “natural” man and toxic masculinity. Frank Starlight is considered to exhibit the “natural” man notion because he is hardworking, values improvement, courageous, and helpful to those in need like Emily and Winnie. However, Jeff Cadotte is a toxic man who shows characteristics like dominance, violence, aggression against women, profanity, carelessness, and risk-taking.
