Ned then decided to join a private men's workshop. The men who joined these groups were facing their problems, talking about them openly and pointedly examining their masculinity, both as they and the culture defined it. In these meetings, the men read from their booklet, and did a lot of hugging. Here Ned meets the group leader Paul. At first he is intimidated by him but as time goes on he recognizes Paul as more of a mother, and a listener. Lastly, Ned goes on a group retreat with these men. They stay at a ten bedroom cabin near a lake for the weekend where they talk about their problems and perform self-actualizing rituals.
This reading section was written in a very speculative tone. Ned went into the men's workshop very skeptical because as Norah she didn't really believe in these groups. She felt that emotions and ideas were forced, rather then brought upon naturally. Ned didn't know who or what to expect out of the men in this group but realized that many of her feelings towards these men changed by the end of the section. Paul for example seemed to really intimidate Ned, but after Ned got to know him and actually sat down to talk to him, he realized that Paul was actually a really good guy, with deep feelings too. An image that sticks out in my mind is Ned's description of Paul. "He was a powerful-looking man, probably in his late fifties. No taller than five feet nine, but heavy, with solid arms, large hands, and a sizable paunch, which he wore like a sumo, as if it would be an asset in a fight, not a liability. He had the bloated, toughened face of an Irish boxer or a corrupt old-world cop, and his whole head, wolly with his russet graying hair, looked like a wad of scar tissue." Page 255 This is the type of image that popped up in my head when Paul was described.
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