Masculinity Theme Analysis

In Restart, too much devotion to traditional masculinity leads to reckless and unkind behavior. It is only when characters broaden their definitions of masculine strength to include behavior beyond conventional toughness that they improve as people. The novel’s paradigmatic macho man is Frank Ambrose, a former football star obsessed with the idea of his 13-year-old son Chase following in his footsteps. Frank openly, cruelly claims that his ex-wife Tina’s softer parenting style turned their sensitive older son Johnny into a “wimp,” and he cautions Chase not to let her do that to him too. When Chase’s doctor, Dr. Cooperman, advises Chase not to play football for the rest of the season after he sustains a concussion, Frank takes Chase for a second opinion because he believes “Ambrose men” are tough, special, and deserving of athletic spotlights—recklessly ignoring that another head injury might endanger his adolescent son’s long-term health. What’s more, Chase’s concussion has given him amnesia, which leads him to stop bullying his much younger half-sister, Frank’s daughter Helene—an obviously positive development. But when Chase tries to make friends with Helene by helping her play with her dolls, Frank expresses distaste at Chase’s un-macho behavior. Thus, the novel not only makes clear that pre-accident Chase was a bully but also hints that Frank’s fixation on masculinity—in the form of sports stardom, physical toughness, and the rejection of anything soft or feminine—encouraged Chase to become a bully in the first place.

Frank only realizes his own faults when Chase forces him to think about strength of character. When amnesiac Chase realizes he stole a Medal of Honor from an elderly veteran named Mr. Solway, Chase returns the medal, admits his own guilt, and refuses to implicate his accomplices, his former friends Aaron and Bear, because he feels he bears the most responsibility. Belatedly, Frank realizes that the “new” Chase—who plays dolls with Helene and cares less about playing football than doing the right thing—is a stronger person, mentally and morally, than the “old,” macho Chase. On the stand at Chase’s juvenile sentencing for stealing the medal, Frank tells everyone that Chase’s new strength of character makes him wish he’d had a head injury at Chase’s age—a humorous admission that nevertheless illustrates how letting go of rigid masculine ideals has improved Chase’s personality (and may improve Frank’s personality in the future).