The Ghost of Manhood: James St. Patrick
With all the media surrounding masculinity and it’s many forms, the key to change may just be chasing Ghost’s…
Legend has it, that when we die, if our spirit finds that there is more to accomplish before it passes on, it doesn’t; it stays and haunts until it’s business is finished. Throughout history, we’ve been “haunted” by the spirits of many concepts, stories, ideals, and all without restraint. American history is haunted by England’s colonialist mindset. The world over is haunted by European imperialism. Great men haunt the minds of ambitious dreamers many times over. Today, thanks to the amazing writers of the show POWER, on Starz, we are all haunted by the man known as Ghost. At first, I assumed it was because of the danger lurking every corner that he manages to endure or evade. If not because of the danger, then it must have been the way he is with women that made the character burn himself in the minds of the audience. I was forced to abandon that theory when I began to realize that was the recipe for any male action star. It wasn’t until I saw the new Bonobos ad about redefining the term masculinity that I realized what it was; through the character of Ghost, we are given the most intimate and unadulterated metamorphosis of the concept of “Manhood” and the future that it makes possible.
I’m not afraid to kill you — Ghost
When the show begins we are introduced to “The Boss” James St. Patrick, the pinnacle of the pride of manhood. James St. Patrick is greeted by paparazzi, his beautiful wife adorn’s his well tailored suit, doors open for him, men move with haste at the wave of his hands, and like a king, he over looks the fruits of his labor from the top level of his TRUTH nightclub. As quickly as we meet James, we are introduced to Ghost, the being James becomes as if an Avatar who engages with the streets of New York City as it’s God to be worshiped. His name brings fear to those who know of it and his actions bring fear to those who don’t. His demands are met. He can’t be killed. He can’t outmaneuvered. He will have what he wants. His pride is only matched by the legitimacy of it’s reign. James “Ghost” St. Patrick is the embodiment of the masculine image in it’s purest form. This very image has been carved into the minds of every human since the beginning. It’s primal. The alpha male who dominates at will, becomes the closest thing to God that man can ascend to. It is the vanity of mankind that requires such a thing and we reflect it upon all aspects of the term “manhood”. From Zeus, to the Spartans, to Rome and her Caesar, manhood had one unyielding image that was illuminated by the blazing pride that propped it up. Even with all it’s regalia however, we have seen the damaging effects of such an ideal; we see it perfectly through James.
Before the first season of Power is complete, the first pillar to fall, is truth. Throughout his successful maneuvers, we are shown how the world he creates is held together with one meticulously crafted lie after another. The lies are so abundant, so common place for Ghost, that he begins losing himself within the very world he creates. The relationships that begin to decay before our eyes are all reflections of the webs within the man that have begun to crumble under the weight of his idolatry to himself. Ghost being the ultimate bad guy, James St. Patrick being the ultimate good guy, both personas being the height of achievement of a man but at a cost that only ever increases. It is the cost of this image of masculinity that we only see in macrocosms which is the genius behind the character. We’ve all known of wars, famines, conquests, strategies, treason, and all the like which have been done in the name of being the man of all men. Countries have been wiped out, atrocities have been carried out, and we’ve all become desensitized to it; it’s just our history. With the character of James St. Patrick, we have the scale of history carried out through his actions each episode as if it was an Epic. Every Sunday, we watch as each lie, each brick that built his tower of babel, each maneuver, cost him the very things that made him, which then leaves him, with nothing.
When are you going to realize you’re not in control anymore Ghost — Tommy To Ghost (Episode Titled “You’re Not The Man)
By season 5, the perfect image of the pride of manhood is reduced to an alcoholic who can barely complete a coherent plan of action without directly sabotaging it’s success. He has lost all control over his life and the actions that are governing it.
Ghost has now lost his wife. Completely broken from the death of their daughter, Tasha St. Patrick leaves Ghost alone, as she finds comfort in the arms of the man that challenged Ghost’s character to his face. Ghost is still the target of federal investigations, Ghost’s daughter has been murdered, Ghost’s son is a murder, Ghost’s best-friend Tommy is no longer following his lead, Ghost has to work with the man who is responsible for corrupting his son, and now Ghost must also sit, stay, and speak, at the demand of a man he was warned by his early enemy never to get in business with. This is what it costs. To maintain this archaic image of manhood costs you everything that actually makes you a man. You have to compromise on your word, you have to risk your relationships countless times, your ability to provide is now directly tied to the success of your act and your trust becomes as fragile as the lies that you tell to keep the world from seeing the valueless interior of your identity. That image isn’t based in reality, but in the fantasies crafted by the ego and pride to give evidence of their necessity within a man’s identity. The “man” behind manhood is just as much of a character as James “Ghost” St. Patrick is to the millions of people who watch Power with intent.
Like many of you, I don’t know what the future holds for this symbolic character played by actor Omari Hardwick. We’ve seen Ghost make his way out of a cartel war, out of federal prison, and out of being eaten by Milan. He managed to convince the very woman who would be putting him in jail, to help him commit and cover up crimes. What I do know is this Ghost is the real one. There’s no club to hide behind, there is no public image strong enough to cover his actions, James St. Patrick is a grieving father who has turned to alcoholism to cope with the loss of his daughter and the consequences of the actions that lead to the life he had been living. Being reduced to the foundation, we as an audience get to see the elevation and ascension for the first time. What we also get to see for the first time is the image of manhood shift from one of idolatry and self-gratification, to an image of humility, brokenness, vulnerability, and fear. The final moments of the most recent episode is the first time James St. Patrick begins to confront the challenges of his life as just James St. Patrick. What does this mean for our symbol of manhood, only time will tell. What we do know is, it’s beginning with honesty, and that’s as powerful of a step forward is it gets.
