Ian McEwan's controversial and macabre Bildungsroman "The Cement Garden" and the Ibsen-inspired domestic tragedy of Arthur Miller, "All My Sons," both deeply explore the social and familial demands and expectations placed on men in these eras, 1946 and 1978 respectively. Aristotle's definition of an ideal protagonist is "a man who is not eminently good and just, and yet whose misfortune is not caused by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty... [and] is very renowned and prosperous: a character like Oedipus" [1]. Subsequently, corrupt businessman Joe Keller in "All My Sons" and confused teenager Jack in "The Cement Garden" are identified as protagonists rather than the other male protagonists (Joe's son Chris and brother separated from Jack, Tom). They meet these criteria as a result of their shared hamartia - an arrogant nature, which is defined by their fundamental masculine desires for financial power, success, sexuality and status - which is the catalyst for their downfalls and has a cathartic effect of purification on the public. Ultimately, in both of these notable pieces of postmodern literature, the characters' long struggle with their identities comes to a catastrophic end after the epilogues. Joe and Jack's identities waver precariously due to the fact that they are at the top of their family hierarchies. Like other men of his era, Joe is expected not only to support his family as breadwinner, but also his country during the war; as stated by Miller himself, "All my Sons is a realistic work that illustrates the theme that a man must recognize his ethical responsibility towards the world outside the home as well as in his own home"[2]. Despite this overwhelming pressure for wealth and self-inflicted security, he refuses to take responsibility for the consequences and blames his wife, Kate, for his own actions. In the third act, he says, “You wanted money, so I made money. What do I have to be forgiven for? You wanted money, right?”[3]. The repetition of the word “money” highlights his main objective, but the cacophonous sound foreshadows the effect his obsession will have and, although perhaps unconsciously, he is aware of it. Furthermore, his poor grammar not only implies that he is running around the height of emotional intensity, but also that he is uneducated both intellectually and socially, broadening the explanation for his desperate attempts at validation. This is reiterated by his rhetorical question and failure to understand that Kate is covering for him: he lacks the intelligence to recognize the error of his crimes. In his eyes, not achieving the goals he has set for himself inevitably means failure as a man; so blaming her is a form of protection, preservation, and a way to keep the possibility of the broken American dream alive. Although her actions may initially appear narcissistic and selfish, it could be argued that her aspirations for him and his family are her primary motivations. He is willing to tarnish his reputation and live with guilt for the sake of his family. Bosley Crowther expressed his agreement with this opinion in response to Edward G. Robinson's portrayal of Joe Keller in the 1948 film adaptation, stating that he presented "a somewhat tough guy who has a softer side... who is] tender and thoughtful in the presence of those he loves.” However, it was not these values ​​that were passed on to his son, but his greed says at the beginning of the first act: “If I have to look for money all day, at least in the evening I want it beautiful. I want a family, I want children,I want to build something I can dedicate myself to." The repetition of "I want" indicates his hypocritical nature, developed from the expectation of being the leader and therefore the most important thing and it is evident from the errors in the sentence form that he too is equally uninformed. Ultimately, Arthur Miller is describing two very similar men and the fact that Chris is in many ways a reflection of his father suggests that the way Chris is portrayed reveals Joe's true character, often well hidden. The nuclear family pastiche wistfully constructed by the four brothers in “The Cement Garden” is an insight into the perception of what was considered a desired family unit and the responsibility of men within it in the 1970s. Despite being set about three decades after “All My Sons” and during a pivotal stage of social progress, the characters strive to take on stereotypical roles, naively emulating the unrealistic families in films and television shows like “The Brady Bunch” and “Little House ". on the prairie. Seventeen-year-old Julie takes on the position of housewife while fourteen-year-old Jack becomes the surrogate father who protects his younger siblings, thirteen-year-old Sue and six-year-old Tom, who act as their children. It is this role that becomes his main focus for development; reflecting the social psychological structures suggested by Erik Erikson, Jack is at a stage in his maturation where he questions who he is and the position he wants to have in society. Due to his patriarchal mindset, he expects that, as a father figure, he will be the head of the family, however Julie, whose age gives her influence, initially proves him wrong. Evidently, unlike "All My Son's", there is a power struggle between the male and female protagonist, but Jack's determination and need to be the "alpha male" ultimately leads him to have power over his three brothers, which they resent. indicated by Julie saying “he wants to be one of the family, you know, a great smart dad. It's getting on my nerves." He aspires exclusively to this outcome from the beginning of the book, evidenced first and foremost by the pride he takes in walking "in front followed by... [his] father" rather than following as before", and it is apparently this goal that defines the Jack's identity. However, the end of the novel sees his willingness to merge his newfound power with infantilization as he takes on the role of submissive while consummating his incestuous relationship with his sister filial desire is expressed in dizzying terms”[4] which suggest his “uncertainty in knowing how to deal with the trauma”[5]; Jack's description of feeling “weightless, rolling in space with no sense of up or down” supports this Furthermore, the sibilants in this section, such as the “light shiver,” juxtapose sensuality with an eerie atmosphere. Combined, these two linguistic characteristics identify Jack as a confused individual who is simply energetic and dominant on the surface. With his “lips around Julie's nipple,” he makes himself vulnerable and returns to sexually distorted childhood behavior and childhood lack of conscientiousness, emancipating himself from the pressures of male gender stereotypes. Due to their familial status, both protagonists are derogatory and repressive in their actions towards women. Joe is described as “a man among men”: he sees men only as his equals, and his subjugation of women limits them to the domestic arena and community. This treatment was, for the most part, universal, as indicated by the appearance of works such as Betty Friedan's "Feminine Mystique." It was, therefore, something that the audience would relate to, which is necessary because the tragedyit is defined in part as “an imitation of a serious action”[6], so it must be something that exists. The mistreatment is made abundantly clear by the fact that Kate continually refers to Joe by name but he does not reciprocate this respect, and Kate is called "mother" in the stage directions. They also describe her as "a woman of uncontrollable inspirations and an overwhelming capacity for love" - ​​using a word in the semantic field of hysteria, "uncontrollable" not only plays into the antediluvian view that women are unstable and inferior, but also suggests that as a woman she should be controlled by her significant other, Joe. The emotional aposiopesis in Keller's “command outburst” that ends with the threatening phrase “I'd better –” highlights his masculine authority and the way he silences those he despises. The representations of women in the play and in "The Cement Garden" are vital to understanding males, as male identities only exist in comparison to female ones. Kate's weaknesses make Joe appear stronger both physically and emotionally. He is a "heavy man, of stolid mind and build", who has come to terms with the death of his son (unlike his wife). Additionally, comments Kate makes throughout the show provide insight into Joe's misogynistic and judgmental views, who likely seeded the ideas. For example, the way he talks about Ann's appearance, such as "I think her nose has gotten longer" and "You've gained a little weight, haven't you, honey?" suggests that Joe has potentially said these things about her appearance and she is actually mirroring them, thus suggesting Joe's manipulative and subtly violent temperament. Applying the same theory, however, would suggest that he too has a caring and affectionate side, the typical endearing term - "darling" implied, but is seemingly otherwise depicted as a proudly oppressive tyrant. Jack's attitude towards female "inferiority" is similar to Joe's, he expects them to be submissive, demonstrated by his disgust towards his brother dressing as a girl. This is acknowledged by Julie who tells him: “girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short and wear t-shirts and boots because it's okay to be a boy for girls it's like a promotion; a girl is degrading in your opinion, because you secretly believe that being a girl is degrading. Furthermore, his sexual objectification of his sisters and his disdain for everything except their physical attributes is, presumably, how he would view women in general. Just five paragraphs into the book, Jack uncomfortably describes the “skin stuck firmly to his [Sue's] rib. cage," "muscled ridge of the buttocks," and "little flower of flesh," and soon "the soft line" of Julie's mouth. "Small," "flower," and "soft" clearly confirm Jack's supposition that women are innocent and pure but weak. Defining his sisters using a series of synecdoches gives a sense of depersonalization and clearly reveals his newfound hyperattention to the female body, his growing sexuality is a defining characteristic of his character Cement Garden' is an odyssey revolves around the development of Jack's identity during his arduous rise to adulthood and the subsequent discovery of his sexuality. Without a male role model, Jack fails to overcome the phallic stages of development described by Freud and Kohlberg, and as a result has a dangerously radical Oedipus complex. The little impact his despotic father had on him was the abuse and manipulation of women: Jack describes how he “knew how to use. the pipe against her." His lack of guidance, combined with the resentment he feels towards his father(stressed by the explosives surrounding his description) is what fuels his need for superiority and therefore degradation of women. The protagonists' stubborn desire to emulate what they perceive as masculine values ​​leads them to make mistakes (essentially murder and incest) and become antiheroes. Like most of Miller's protagonists, following Aristotelian principles, Joe's arrogant and hamartian nature causes his death, but unlike John Proctor, Eddie Carbone or even Willy Loman, his suicide is selfish, rather than martyrdom altruistic. He is true to his character who would rather capitulate to his sins than atone and achieve redemption. Cynically, Joe believes that the masculine values ​​he stands for are unattainable. He will never fulfill the moral responsibilities imposed on him as identified by the biblical reference “a man cannot be Jesus in this world”; which is his justification for abandoning his cause. How can you be? something that doesn't exist? Comparing herself to "Jesus" shows that she seeks comfort in a higher power and is somewhat vulnerable, a characteristic she believes to be undesirable due to its feminine connotations. His name, Keller, is a play on the word "murderer", marking him as guilty from the start, despite his continued attempts to hide it. The moment when “a shot is heard in the house” marks Joe's disillusionment and actually comes to terms with his identity in an extremely sinister way. This moment of anagnorisis would shock the audience and be a moment of manipulated tension – said Miller, “the audience sat in silence… and gasped when they should have, and I savored that power… which is knowing that through one's own invention a mass of strangers has been publicly paralyzed”[7]. However, being a tragedy of the common man and the subtle defense of the underdog, it makes it difficult to look at Joe so negatively. Both works evoke a catharsis in the audience and in the reader, intensified by the somewhat recognizable situations in which the protagonists find themselves, making their disappearance even more disturbing and painful to watch. The falsity of the concept of masculinity is represented: the attempt to become a strong and respected man it has detached Joe from reality and leads to a lack of morality; as a result his identity within society is ironically diminished despite this being the opposite of his intentions. Just as 'All My Sons' sparked controversy among 1950s audiences with its honest depiction of the futility of the American dream, 'The Cement Garden' did so with incest and sexual self-discovery - "the novel cleverly reverses the traditional coming-of-age narratives" - and Jack's hasty rites of passage prove immensely destructive: in this way it is an urbanized adaptation of William Golding's "Lord of the Flies". Like most young adults, Jack has long aspired to be independent and virile. However, “considering that moment of adulthood that everyone desires”[8] it turns out to be traumatizing and harmful too soon. He develops such a degree of hegemonic masculinity in the space of days that he loses his sense of his own identity, in fact he bifurcates – symbolized in the phrase: "I stared at my image until it began to dissociate and paralyze me with its appearance." The pronoun “it” emphasizes his dissatisfaction with himself and the desire to be different. Furthermore, his anguished questioning of his own character leads him into a spiral of immoral choices, culminating in his sexual relationship with his sister, and a constant feeling of unacknowledged shame. The repeated nightmares of his mother scolding him for his serial masturbations are a clear indication of this, in a, 2006)