Lloyd Alexander was an American author who wrote mainly for youth and young adults. In a quotation from his 1966 novel, The Castle of Llyr, he displays a traditional belief that seems entrenched in American society; the worth of a man is measured by his ability to become one. A boy is not worthy until he has proven his masculinity. This age old belief is intertwined within the school shooting epidemic, in more ways than one. The subconscious motivation to prove masculinity, and the evident solve of violence to do is a likely underlayer of school shootings. It can also be hypothesized that most school shootings are a form of suicide. Whether they have the intention of killing themselves following the act, or they are killed by police in their…show more content… These standards are accepted and implemented even from birth. In a study done regarding gender-roles and their appearance even during infancy, videos of mothers interacting with their babies were compared. In the videos involving male infants terms like “strong” and “tough” were used commonly, if not religiously. Terms which were absent in interactions with female babies. It is evident that even from the beginning stages of life we foster young boys to fit an acute mold of masculinity; and this mold is dangerous, in the literal sense that it can be effortlessly linked to violence. Violence has become an accepted side effect to masculinity, because “boys will be boys.” As noted in Michael Roque’s article (2011), “it is here in the United States where experts actually prescribed fighting for young boys’ healthy masculine development.” Although speaking to the early 1900’s, things like this are rooted in our history, and remnants of these past teachings are still commonplace. Because violence corresponds with a healthy male, then it can be understood that when a young boy or man feels emasculated by one force or another, violence is an easily performed confirmation. That is to say that violence can be used as a tool of reclamation of one's