“A real fucking man”: Exploring migrant masculinities in Men without Bliss by Rigoberto González from an ectopic perspective

Abstract

This project introduces the work of the Mexican-American author Rigoberto González into the Spanish literary panorama and focuses on his short story collection Men without Bliss. For an exhaustive analysis of his work, the starting point will be the analytical tool established by Tomás Albaladejo (2011) and his definition of “ectopic literature” which provides tools to study the process of reterritorialization as a consequence of migratory processes through literary works. As presented in other studies dealing with this theoretical background, we would emphasize the relationship between gender and migration. A detailed reading of Men without Bliss aims to confirm the possibilities to analyze his short-story collection from the prism of ectopic literature. The examination of masculine characters in González’s short-stories, and particularly the way(s) men experience processes of displacement are described are the main objectives of this work. By exploring this short-story collection, we classify characters according to different models of masculinity and identify how González depicts “traditional masculinity” and patriarchy as source for unhappiness.