Roosterness

"That was another reason for my roosterness. A novel written and accepted by a publishing house, and I was nineteen years old. Nineteen!" he said, laughing again and shaking his massive head […]

At last, having gained confidence in his identity, he stopped and let out a crow of pride in his roosterness. Then he stepped over to me and looked up, his head cocked to one side.

Mihalis accepts his role as a rooster, but focuses on another aspect of roosterness; i.e. being masculine: "I'll be a rooster crowing in the hen coop, but you'll be a hen and I'll be bothering you" (lines 7-9).

They jerk up their feet with cocky roosterness as if they have not yet heard about the two-legged beasts who are going to make slaves of their wives.