What Should A Man Be Today?

When A Man’s A Man – Harold Bell Wright

In this classic tale, a mysterious stranger arrives at an Arizona cattle ranch, seeking employment and a chance to prove his worth. As he confronts the challenges of ranch life, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery, testing his courage and integrity.

Will he overcome the trials of the untamed West and find his true identity?

There is a land where a man, to live, must be a man.

It is a land of granite and marble and porphyry and gold – and a man’s strength must be as the strength of the primeval hills. It is a land of oaks and cedars and pines – and a man’s mental grace must be as the grace of the untamed trees. It is a land of far-arched and unstained skies, where the wind sweeps free and untainted, and the atmosphere is the atmosphere of those places that remain as God made them – and a man’s soul must be as the unstained skies, the unburdened wind, and the untainted atmosphere. It is a land of wide mesas, of wild, rolling pastures and broad, untilled, valley meadows – and a man’s freedom must be that freedom which is not bounded by the fences of a too weak and timid conventionalism.

In this land, every man is – by divine right – his own king; he is his own jury, his own counsel, his own judge, and – if must be – his own executioner. And in this land where a man, to live, must be a man, a woman, if she be not a woman, must surely perish.

– Taken from ‘When’s A Man’s A Man’ written by Harold Bell Wright

Availability

You can purchase the hard copy or download it on Kindle. Personally, I prefer the old-style hardcover version of the book.

Quote:

The following poem is included at the beginning of ‘When A Man’s A Man’.

What tho’ on hamely fare we dine

Wear hoddin’ grey, an’ a’ that?
Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine –
A man’s a man for a’ that.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
Their tinsel show, an’ a’ that,
The honest man, tho’ e’er sae poor,
Is king o’ men for a’ that.

Ye see yon birkie, ca’d a lord,
Wha struts, an’ stares, an’ a’ that?
Tho’ hundreds worship at his word,
He’s but a coof for a’ that.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
The man o’ independent mind,
He looks an’ laughs at a’ that.
~Robert Burns

Spoilers!

I introduce you to the main character, Patches, who is aware that he is completely city-fied and soft. Undoubtedly, he knows he needs a change in his life; he doesn’t respect himself as a man. He goes radical, determined to do what it takes to regain his self-respect and, consequently, gains the respect of others.

As you follow Patches through his experiences, the following questions come to mind. What is a man? What should a man be today?

The secondary main character, Kitty, was born and raised in the country and left only once for school. She reads books about the city and glorifies what city life was/is like. She becomes discontent with the life she leads and begins making wrong decisions.

Furthermore, Kitty’s experiences also inspire the questions. For instance, is the quality of my life lessening because I am seeking after that which, certainly, will end up destroying me? Am I appreciating what is before and around me, regardless of what might be on the other side of the fence?

This insert from the book might give you a clearer picture.

This is the story of a man who regained that which in his youth had been lost to him; and of how, even when he had recovered that which had been taken from him, he still paid the price of his loss.
It is the story of a woman who was saved from herself; and of how she was led to hold fast to those things, the loss of which cost the man so great a price.

My Views

This book became my all-time favorite when I was quite young, and it remains so to this day. Everyone should read this story! It has one of the best morals that’s ever been in a book.

Usually, we all enjoy and prefer books that end with a happily-ever-after or something to that effect. This does not. However, I challenge you to give this a read. Or a try. Either one. Though Wright deprives our main character, Patches, of a happy-ever-after, it does not leave you dissatisfied or feeling unsettled. The one condition I have for books is that they MUST give me that restful feeling. Not saying that they can’t be a ‘soul-searching’ read, or in other words, one that makes me think, if you get what I mean.

I really wish Patches could have had his happy-ever-after, but at the same time, it fits with his character and personality to have him ‘silhouetted for an instance against the skyline before disappearing to the other side’.

Finally:

Wright does an amazing job with each of his books, bringing the story to life for the reader. You know those movies where the lead actor is drawn into the book and becomes a character in the story? Similarly, that’s how you begin to feel when you read any of Wright’s books, especially ‘When A Man’s A Man’.

The following sentence, taken from the beginning of the story, is my favorite in the book.