Manliness and The Big Lebowski
“What makes a man, Mr. Lebowski? Is it being prepared to do the right thing, whatever the cost? Isn’t that what makes a man?”
The Big Lebowski outright asks us this question, both literally and in theme. In fact, “man” is the most common word said in The Coen Brothers classic. That is because The Big Lebowski is about manliness.
The 1998 film, but set in 1991, starts out with Sam Elliot narrating, “He’s the man for his time and place…. And that’s The Dude…. Even if he is a lazy man. And the Dude Most certainly is a lazy man.”
The Stranger (the narrator) is merely telling the tale of The Dude. But why is this so important?
There’s a Jewish tradition, the Lamed Var Tzadikim (36 Righteous Men). These men are always alive on Earth. Their righteousness saves the rest of us sinners from doom. These men live ordinary lives. They are seen as lazy by observers. But when the time calls, they rise to the occasion and save the day. Does the Dude fit the bill as this man? Well, the film does close with the narrator smiling, quipping about “The Dude taking it easy for all us sinners.”
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What Makes a Man?
The Dude says “man” 147 times or 1.5 mans per minute. El Duderino also says “dude” 161 times. The F-word is used 292 times, which is more than Scarface. This fact doesn’t have anything to do with masculinity. I just found it interesting.
The first song played in the movie is “The Man in Me” by Bob Dylan. Your first hint that this movie is about manliness.
One of the reasons The Big Lebowski is so interesting over 20 years later, is it showcases multiple forms of masculinity with its set of diverse characters. Walter is the ubermacho manly man. Donnie is your meek and mild mannered every man. Mr. Lebowski is the old and successful businessman. The Jesus is the loud, peacocking man. Nearly every character represents some facet of masculinity. Some of them have good qualities of manliness. All of them have bad qualities of manliness. None of them are strong men. They are weak versions of manliness.
Walter is a caricature of the overly manly man. He is the immature notion of what manliness is. A big burly and loud man. He’s reactionary, quick to violence and anger, and he drinks and smokes throughout the entire film. He brandishes guns and talks incessantly of his war service to show his own brand of manliness. Yet despite all this bravado, he’s still submissive to his ex-wife. Even after the divorce, he still brings his wife’s “Pomeranian” bowling. He’s dog sitting while another man is in Hawaii with his ex-wife. But at least he didn’t buy the dog shoes or a beer.
Donnie is the quiet and forgettable man that is constantly walked over, a bit like a rug. Donnie really ties the movie together, even though I’m not 100% convinced he’s real. Donnie may be a “Tyler Durden.” Walter clearly has PTSD from his time in Vietnam and manifesting Donnie might be his coping mechanism. This would explain why The Dude seems so indifferent, even for him, at Donnie’s funeral. And as far as I can recall, no one seems to talk to Donnie or even acknowledge him, outside of Walter of course.
The Dude’s preferred drink
The background characters are comically un-masculine. The landlord is short, timid and portly. The private detective is short, overweight and unsuccessful at his job. Even the cop is effeminate. The younger cop. The older cop is the grizzled old version of masculinity that is being left behind. He seems outright disgusted by The Dude and his lifestyle. Maude’s friend who giggles like a little schoolgirl is not only gay, but very effeminate. In fact, I’m confident that all the men surrounding Maude are gay. Which was a much stronger statement in 1998 than it is today. Now it is often a diversity check off rather than a significant statement.
Maude is interesting. She is most likely the most important character in The Big Lebowski. She’s very thorough, strong, confident, and successful. And thorough. In fact, she’s the entire driving force of the movie. The YouTuber, Fallopium Films presents compelling evidence that she is the one who jump-starts the entire kidnapping charade to remove her father, Mr. Lebowski from The Lebowski Little Achievers charity organization.
Fallopium Films connects the nihilists to Maude with the giant red scissors which are seen in the dream sequence and in a painting in Maude’s apartment. He posits that Maude sent the kidnappers to entrap her father. The real smoking gun connecting the two parties, is Maude describing a man’s dick as a “johnson.” The term Karl Hungus, (the nihilist) uses when he threatens to castrate The Dude. There’s a lot of talk of castration in this film. Likely a metaphor for how many men have become emasculated in our modern world.
The Patriarchy versus Feminism
The entire plot of the movie is set up as Masculinity vs. Feminity. You have Mr. Lebowski, the pinnacle of the Patriarchy and Maude, the quintessential portrayal of femininity. Maude is self-sufficient, strong, and even her art has been commended as “strongly vaginal.” She doesn’t need the Dude to father the child, but merely act as a sperm donor.
And she leads The Dude in their brief relationship. She is the first one to bring up sex. She is the one to initiate sex. And she is the one who wants to have the child. She completely checks out after she gets The Dude to conceive with her. The woman leading the man is an awkward dynamic for any relationship.
Ethan and Joel Coen are making a statement in this movie. That statement is that the future is female. They don’t outright state whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. They simply show that it is happening. For whatever reason, men seem content to be lazy and unaccomplished. Spending most of their time drinking, getting high… bowling.
Fight Club, Office Space, The Big Lebowski all came out within a year of each other. These movies all show men who feel lost and without fulfillment in life. As society has progressed and become better, it has become easier. And men who built the railroads, fought in Vietnam and conquered the American frontier feel lost in a feminized modern world. A world where most men sit in air-conditioned offices and work delicate jobs. With the rise of the internet and office jobs of the late 90s, men have found themselves stuck in more cushy jobs.
There is a recurring theme of male emasculation in The Big Lebowski. The nihilists threaten to cut off The Dude’s johnson. And shortly after this threat we see The Dude running from these guys as they chase him with giant red scissors in another acid flashback.
“Lapin,” the license plate on Bunny’s Jaguar is a term used for a castrated male rabbit. There’s your male emasculation smoking gun.
Saying “the future is female” in 1998 doesn’t have the “problematic” connotations that it comes with today. And looking back over the last couple decades, it makes sense that The Big Lebowski has become so popular among fans. The Dude is a very relatable character for many who have found life to be more enjoyable when you’re coasting through life carefree rather than busting your hump for more accomplishments. Plus, the movie is fucking hilarious.
Is a Man Defined by His Achievements?
The rug, this film’s McGuffin, leads The Dude to meeting The Big Lebowski. “So, you’re Lebowski. I’m Lebowski.” The two share the same name and this leads to the carpet-pissers micturating on The Dude’s rug. This brings the audience to the scene where the two Lebowskis meet. Despite sharing the same name, the two are never shown sharing the same shot. A cinematic technique visualizing the vast divide between the two characters.
Mr. Lebowski shows his hypocrisy in this scene with The Dude. He lambasts The Dude for not taking responsibility for buying his own rug, while simultaneously taking no responsibility for his wife’s spending habits.
The two represent opposing ideologies of manliness and this scene showcases it perfectly. While Mr. Lebowski is well kempt, dressed in a suit and sits up right, the Dude is dressed slovenly in ill-fitting clothes and slouches in the chair. Yet, Mr. Lebowski is fat, bald and is old, whereas The Dude is in decent shape, has a long head of hair and is young.
This brings up the question of whether it’s more desirable to be successful and rich or to be young and poor. If you ask more aging millionaires, they’ll tell you that they’d trade it all for youth.
Mr. Lebowski losing his legs in Korea is a symbolic physical castration. Despite showcasing all his achievements, he still is not a “complete man.” And this is likely the reason for his overcompensation with pursuing success, the big house and of course the reason the rug was peed on, Bunny.
The film starts with a couple of goons peeing on The Dudes rug. A masculine show of dominance in the animal kingdom. This can be seen as an attack on one’s masculinity.
Unlike His Dudeness, Mr. Lebowski is a very successful man. He lives in a mansion that is full of all sorts of trophies to show his value. A picture with Nancy Reagan. But, Mr. Reagan, the man, is notably missing. A key to the city. The Little Lebowski Urban Achievers. And of course, his wife, Bunny.
Here The Dude notices the picture of the Little Lebowski Urban Achievers, a picture of Mr. Lebowski in a wheelchair among a dozen or so different kids. “Different mothers, huh?”
Brandt, the butler, corrects Duder here. “They aren’t literally his children. They're the Little Lebowski Urban Achievers - inner city children of promise but without the necessary means for a - necessary means for a higher education.”
This throwaway line brings up Mr. Lebowski’s desire to raise children while hinting at his likely inability to father his own biological children.
Is a man defined by his achievements? His trophies? His wife? His civic duty to the city? The way he dresses on a Wednesday?
The Wealthy Lebowski labors into a dramatic monologue, “I can look back on a life of achievements. Challenges met. Competitors bested; obstacles overcome. I’ve accomplished more than most men, without the use of my legs. What…. What makes a man, Mr. Lebowski?”
Except…. He’s not actually as successful as appearances would have you believe. He lives off the allowance he receives from Maude, his daughter. A reversal of the typical patriarchal roles of a man supporting his daughter. Again, this is an example of emasculation.
Do You See What Happens….
The 1998 cult classic ends with The Dude conceiving a child. Is that what makes a man? The ability to create life with the balance of the feminine and the masculine? To create something beautiful. Something that will last longer than you? Umm…. Sure. That and a pair of testicles.
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