Yesterday I sat watching the 2005 version of King Kong starring Naomi Watts. I couldn’t believe that I was sitting there crying over a typical beauty-and-the-beast story! I had to figure out what had touched me so much. As I sat there, I began to see it. I began to see what this great ape had over many men out there in the world.
I won’t go so far as to say that men are single-minded, but I will say they have their priorities. Just because a woman has a man in her life doesn’t necessarily mean that he is giving her everything she deserves. Too many times, there are women who settle for what they have instead of what they deserve. They support their men and are loyal to them, sometimes to a fault. What they get in return isn’t always equal.
Some men prefer to keep women at arm’s length, while soaking up all that support and loyalty. They need a quick fix or pick-me-up; they run to the women to boost their morale and their ego. When it’s time to support the women and provide what they need, they drop the ball. Bad day at work? Boss got on your case? Some men go into “fix-it” mode, while others just sit there. First date? Many men are gallant enough to pick up the check, but others insist on going dutch. Worst of all, there are those men who do everything except claim their women.
Then there is the great ape that is King Kong. When he finds Naomi Watts, something intrigues him; she isn’t like all the rest. This one is, well, special. This one deserves his time and his attention. He starts off with the general strutting and posing. He’s too tough for this femme fatale to work her magic on him. She tries to wow him (in order to stay alive) with her comedy routine. He’s entranced, but plays it cool. When she no longer amuses him with this, he begins to play with her. She quickly admonishes him and sets her boundaries, “No! There is no more! That’s all there is!” He lets her know this is not acceptable to him and disappears, leaving her, she assumes on her own.
But the story doesn’t end there.
When she is on her own in the big, wide world, she soon finds herself in need of protection. Out of nowhere comes the great Kong there to protect she who intrigued him. She who made him laugh. She who set the boundaries. He saves her and she knows he will be there for her. They learn to communicate and trust. Even after he is taken to America and escapes to wreak havoc on New York, she is the one who calms him. He picks her up gently, a sudden calm from the storm in her presence. He holds her close, protecting her. He provides for her by shielding her from harm. Finally, he turns and roars out a fierce cry that basically says, “She’s mine! She belongs to me! No one can care for her like I can! Stay away! Mine, I tell you!”
Now, I’m not trying to say that all men can be stereotyped by what I indicated above. I’m just indicating that many women have known those men who only want to be “half-way” boyfriends or husbands. There are those men as great as the mighty Kong who are able to be themselves with the woman who intrigues them. Those guys are keepers. They are the ones that have accepted the challenge of rising to what is expected of them. I know many women who will disagree, but a woman has a lot to offer. She has a right to standards. She has a right to say no. The man who pursues, protects, and claims that woman isn’t afraid of a little challenge. It’s basic. It’s instinctual.
