The Murse

Susie Seashell
Austin Campbell
English 105
30 January 2011
Society is ready to Present The Murse. Fashion is a challenge for everyone. Everyone believes that fashion is all about women and shoes and the perfect clothes but in reality men worry about it as much as women. One of the biggest issues in men’s fashion is the wallet. How do you keep all your things? There is a simple answer Man’s Bag or Murse. This didn’t go over to well with the general male population however and the question is why? Michael Chabon discusses this topic at length in his essay “I Feel Good about my Murse”. He portrays the everyday concerns of an average male worrying about what to do with his spare change, condoms, keys, Kleenex, gum and wallet. By using personal anecdotes, reason, and humorous accounts, Chabon presents the necessity of a Murse effectively. Chabon begins his accounts through a rant about wallets. Being one of the most celecrated writers of his generation the public becomes all ears. They are too small, uncomfortable, and don’t hold all my change Chabon states in his essay, and later in the essay presents the point to try to put forth murses as a functional good looking way to carry your things all because, "the tools and appurtenances of a man's life must be containable within the pockets of his jacket and pants." He then continues to use pathos mostly to describe his pain he feels in having to carry around a wallet. He emphasizes the fact that a purse is like a “vagina on a strap” but he still wishes he could carry one himself. The fact that they’re so feminine and completely disgraceful for masculine men seems to make him want one more, and he wishes someone would create a “murse”. Sometimes the simplest thing can be so degrading for a man but yet is completely accepted and normal for a woman. Men are forced to carry backpacks, fanny packs or really anything as long as it’s not fashionable and not convenient. Men are allowed to be fashionable just without any sort of accessory. This doesn’t seem to kick in until around college age however, because at that point there is no other way to carry around the hundreds of pounds of textbooks required. Once you have retired from the college life you still have to find a convenient way to carry your things but it has to be as elegant and sophisticated as whatever job you have required, all the while remaining masculine. Chabon makes the reference "A briefcase and other such devices are just purses masquerading as tougher versions of themselves." This point is very true because they are the exact same concept wither way you look at it, a purse has a strap and a briefcase has a handle, things just pretending to be the other. So why not carry around a briefcase all the time? Chabon the continues to make the point of carrying his diaper bag everywhere he went when he was a brand new father, saying that he "carried that diaper bag until it became so saturated and coated with dairy and excretory residue that it needed to be disposed of by a hazmat team and federal cleanup superfund." Obviously he soon became uncomfortable, and admits he just wants a bag that is not too big or too small or too heavy, he just wanted a perfect carrying case for his daily life. Once again he presents The Murse. Chabon then describes what every man should try and look for in a murse simply and perfectly, it has to be "sort of masculine somehow, but holds everything that you need on a day to say basis. Fashion has become a challenge for everyone, especially for men. Everyone believes that fashion is all about women but one of the biggest issues fashion today according to Chabon is the wallet and how to conveniently carry all your things without being ridiculed. There is a simple answer, the Murse. While it is not commonplace to see a man with a purse, Many men, including Michael Chabon, carry around a murse. He believes that men do not have to be tied down by pockets, but you should beware for the possibility of laughter or even ridicule by people in society that don’t understand the necessity. Choban successfully has affected middle-aged men to try and consider the murse at least, and by using personal anecdotes, reason, and humorous accounts, Chabon presents the necessity of a Murse effectively.