Boys Must be Separated from Childhood to be Men, by Jason Craig

In Rudyard Kipling’s coming-of-age novel Captains Courageous, a spoiled, rich teenager named Harvey is initiated into manhood through a series of adventures on a fishing vessel. Separated from his wealthy family, he gets thrown in with real men, the sort with quick wits, short tempers, and gritty virtue. Prior to the fishing adventure, Harvey had spent his entire childhood and early teens being ushered around the world by his mother, who is trying to amuse him while his father is totally absent, growing a massive business empire. His mother keeps Harvey comfortable and safe, while his father funds the comfort. The novel, though first published in 1897, is an accurate presentation of today. More than ever, fathers today are overworked or just plain absent, leaving uninitiated sons in the hands of mothers who tend to do all they can to keep their boys comfortable and safe. Moreover, also like many boys in our culture today, Harvey is not rooted in a specific place and culture. These realities work together to keep him immature, because they keep him from being able to become a man.  ….

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