ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the role in masculinity played by two specific kinds of tools-the motor vehicle and the gun. The illustrations that follow are taken from books on early American tools and show the types of hand tools used in both agricultural and home construction work prior to the advent of electricity and the steam engine. It is upon this basis of necessary household labor that the present day's association of men and hand tools is founded. It required repairing or installing items such as automatic transmissions, drywall, toilets, oil furnaces, faucets, outdoor lighting and air-conditioning units. One of the brands of tools deemed masculine across both regions of the country-John Deere-is depicted below in its most iconic form: the tractor. The men we interviewed consistently cited technologies, such as Xbox and Sony PlayStation, and digital games, such as Call of Duty, as representing masculinity. The main character, whose eyes men are looking through, is named David Mason.
