Assignment #12 -- Explore the implications and subtleties of the conversation with Mr. Hadley. What does he say about “manhood” (see what he says about the G.I.’s) and how does he feel about Brinker and Gene’s involvement in the war effort? (198-200)

Mr. Hadley thinks that being a man means using your hands to get the job done, and he approves of Gene but not Brinker. Mr. Hadley is disgusted of the G.I.’s because they use machines for everything, “This war’s so technical they’ve got to use all kinds of machines… I can’t picture that at all.” (Knowles 198). This shows that Mr. Hadley does not approve of men who use the sewing machines when there is a war going on. Mr. Hadley thinks that Gene and Brinker is the image of himself in this war. While Gene is going to enlist in the Navy, Brinker is going to enlist in the Coast Guard. This connects back to getting your hands dirty to get the job done. Mr. Hadley thinks that the coast guard just sit in America defending the coast. This is shown when he scowls at Brinker’s decision. Mr. Hadley, being a veteran in the first world war, thinks that the only proper way to do something is to get your hands dirty.