Book Review - Iron John
Author: Robert Bly
Category: Masculine Archetypes, Psychology, Rites of Passage
Quiver Score: 3/5
Iron John by Robert Bly is a classic book about men. It has legions of ardent fans, but I reluctantly admit I am not one of the more zealous. Although the book has high points – the classic story of Iron John as put down by the Grimm brothers stands out to me, as well as an exploration of masculine archetypes – it also has what I found to be a great deal of rambling narratives, too many fictional references, and a plethora of poetry that was more distracting than illuminating. As a counter opinion, one of my teachers calls it ‘mythopoetic’ with each man finding his own meaning in the stories. I agree that this is a more positive perspective from which to approach it. It works for many, and Bly certainly has much worth saying to men. Furthermore, he was one of the pioneers in doing so.
I have written about the masculine archetypes as illustrated in King, Warrior, Magician, Lover. In Iron John Bly gives particular attention to these archetypes, with slight modification, and also adds three others: the wild man, trickster, and grief man. The character Iron John is the wild man, and the book narrates the impact he has on the maturation of a king’s son who has fled the kingdom in search of his own place, his own voice. But in fleeing, he is wounded. Although he has broken free from the grips of his mother and father, he soon finds that his new life is not as neat and tidy as the life he has left behind. “How would the boy…have found out about his genius if he had not been wounded?” asks Bly. “Whenever the wound appears in our psyches, whether from an alcoholic father, shaming mother, shaming father, abusing mother, whether it stems from isolation, disability, or disease, that is precisely the place for which we will give our major gift to the community.” Our greatest challenge, with generous perspective and determination, can become our most notable strength.
From there Bly takes us on an exploration along the road of ashes, where descent transforms into grief. The ashes represent death, and from death there can emerge new life. “Initiation says that before a boy can become a man, some infantile being in him must die.” Bly provides a lengthy discourse of various cultural initiations from boyhood to manhood. Much modern westernized cultural is without initiation rituals, and thus many men are men only by age and boys when measured by maturity.
Eventually, with hardship, our protagonist finds his ‘place’. Following a well-worn path makes for easy travel but little progress; blazing your own leads to obstacles, pain, breakdown, and with perseverance, eventual rising. The boy, now a young man, accesses his warrior energy to claim his belonging, dances with the feminine, and loves fiercely. In leveraging the masculine archetypes that are his strengths, he develops the others. “A whole community of beings is what is called a grown man,” writes Bly in reference to the seven masculine archetypes. In crafting his own reality, the boy becomes a grown man.
In the simple process of writing this review, I have gained a deeper appreciation for Iron John. It is not likely to be loved by every man, but it will be appreciated by enough to continue its significant impact on the maturation of men.
