Masculinity In The Sun Also Rises

On her physical self, she is portrayed as outrageous and daring with a cropped hairstyle which was not common or accepted for girls to have. Her character, and actions also go against the widely accepted social norms. She is so open sexually up to the extent that she tells Cohn that she is not willing to give up his desires for an active sex life, thus opting to relate with another man while still attached to Cohn (Hemingway, 26). Cohn on the other hand also suffers from an internal conflict, perhaps as a result of a dilemma between conforming to life as a spouse of a nagging Frances Clyne, and deciding to be happy by travelling. Jake sums up his conformity struggle by noting that “You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.” (Hemingway, 29)

Lady Brett Ashley in The Sun Also Rises has always been regarded as one of Ernest Hemingway’s most hated characters. Both critics and readers have seen her simply as a bitch, and do not view her as a likeable or relatable character in any way. Her alcoholism, her use and abuse of men, and her seeming indifference to Jake Barnes’s love are just a few reasons why Hemingway’s readers have not been able to stand Brett, and do not give her a fair chance. It is clear that Jake is biased in his narration, but no one wants to question his opinions and judgments of Brett; in fact, since the book was

Reflecting members of the Lost Generation, the characters in the novel are negatively affected by being a part of it because many are incapable forming genuine relationships. The fight between Cohn, Jake, and Mike especially illustrates such an idea because it shows just how meaningless the idea of friendship is to the characters. Cohn in particular gives little meaning to true relationships. He says that Jake is his best friend, yet he insults him prior to the physical altercation; “‘You’re really about the best friend I have, Jake’” (39). Despite Jake allegedly being his best friend, he still refers to him as a pimp, showing how little Jake means to Cohn. The negative effect of meaningless, dishonest relationships is also found in the overall relationship of the group: Cohn claims to like Jake, while Jake claims to hate Cohn. Mike abhors Cohn as well, yet they are all out together nonetheless. Their lack of honesty, which led to the fight, stresses the significance of the negative effects of being a part of the Lost Generation, which is Hemingway’s meaning of the entire work.

Brett’s fiancé, Mike, reveals to their friends, although it is not much of a revelation, that “‘Brett’s had affairs with men before. She tells me all about everything. She gave me this chap Cohn’s letters to read’” (Hemingway 147). It is evident that Brett has slept with a multitude of different men, including during the times when she has been in relationships, like how she she has an affair with Cohn while being engaged to Mike. She mentions totells others herself about her sexual and romantic affairs, so it is clear that it is not something kept secret from others. Remorse, regret, and shame are not emotions that she feels knowing that she is unfaithful and unquestionably promiscuous. Anyhow, what is striking here is not necessarily her promiscuity, but rather the overall seemingly fine approval of her affairs. The tolerance of her actions is part of the rise of the new generation that breaks away from tradition, but is also due in grand part to the fact that she is treated as a masculine being. Instead of being repudiated, as women were traditionally, for her promiscuity, Brett manages to keep her social status. Moreover, Mike’s tolerance of her promiscuity demonstrates the sexual freedom that she has. Normally, this sexual freedom is attributed to men and shamed on women. Thus, one is forced to read Brett as a more masculinized character. The line

Lorie Watkins Fulton believes that in Hemingway’s novel, The Sun Also Rises, Brett is on her journey to find happiness and peace for herself. Fulton states that Jake creates a negative image of Brett to the readers as he narrates. He makes her seem unsteady with her life as she goes around having sex with whoever she pleases. Fulton describes Jake as someone who did nothing to solve his problems or enjoy life to the fullest. Instead, he accepted his place in the world while Brett is out living her life. After the war, Brett pursuits a new lifestyle through religion but it seems like when Brett finally gets a chance, something always gets in the way of letting her in. The moment she enters, she sees that it's not for her so she leaves with

The clearest example is the impotency of the main character Jake Barnes. Jake explains to Georgette how he was hurt during the war in order to prevent her from becoming infatuated with him (Hemingway 22). The battle wound rendered Jake impotent, so he cannot be with his love, Brett Ashley. Throughout the novel, Jake witnesses Brett’s affairs with other men; his insecurity is enhanced. Robert Cohn, Jake’s Jewish friend, is a former boxer who did not experience World War I firsthand like the rest of Jake’s friends. Hemingway explains why Robert boxes: "He cared nothing for boxing, in fact he disliked it, but he learned it painfully and thoroughly to counteract the feeling of inferiority and shyness he had felt on being treated as a Jew at Princeton" (11). Robert practices boxing as a way to counteract his insecurity; he thinks he will gain respect and intimidate others. Instead, Robert is always found to be the center of jokes and criticism from his peer group; he nonchalantly brushes it off but is concerned about his identity.

1.) The people in the novel The Sun Also Rises are lost in more ways than one. The men all throughout the novel would struggle with the idea of masculinity. For instance Romero is wanting to marry Brett. Although, he wants Brett to conform to the traditional, feminine woman. Brett confides into Jake saying how "He said it would make me more womanly. I'd look a fright," (246). This connects to the idea of masculinity and how it is hard for men in that time period to obtain it. That is because one of the many ways masculinity was obtained wat through women. If he could control Brett how he wanted, and marry her, he would become more manly. Another way in which the people in the novel are lost is that they feel a need to be accepted. Cohn was

The period between World War I and World War II was a very turbulent time in America. Ernest Hemingway most represented this period with his unrestrained lifestyle. This lifestyle brought him many successes, but it eventually destroyed him in the end. His stories are read in classrooms across America, but his semi-autobiographical writings are horrible role models for the students who read them. Hemingway’s lifestyle greatly influenced his writings in many ways.

The pivotal character of Ernest Hemingway's novel, The Sun Also Rises is Jake Barnes. He is a man of complex personality--compelling, powerful, restrained, bitter, pathetic, extraordinarily ordinary yet totally human. His character swings from one end of the psychological spectrum to the other end. He has complex personality, a World War I veteran turned writer, living in Paris. To the world, he is the epitome of self-control but breaks down easily when alone, plagued by self-doubt and fears of inadequacy. He is at home in the company of friends in the society where he belongs, but he sees himself as someone from the outside looking in. He is not alone, yet he is lonely. He strikes people as confident, ambitious, careful, practical,

Jake and Robert Cohn and their relationship is another indicator of the theme of masculine insecurity. Hemingway plays up the tensions of competition and jealousy to demonstrate just how uncertain his male characters are. Cohn seems to sincerely be keen of Jake, and while Jake is normally nice toward him although he does not really seem to reciprocate Cohn’s warmth. Their relationship changes once Jake discovers Cohn’s fling with Brett. After this incident, he is more unfriendly toward him, and more critical of him. A conversation that happens later between Jake and Bill hints at Jake’s jealousy. Bill asks Jake if he was ever in love with Brett and Jake responds with “Off and on for a hell of a long time.” Bill apologizes for being inconsiderate, Jake them claims he no longer cares. Bill is skeptic of this though (128). The competition between Jake and Cohn relationship reaches its first peak, when he finds out about Cohn’s trip with Brett and their sexual affair and by Cohn’s belief that he knows Brett better than Jake does. His hatred for Cohn grows even more throughout the novel with Jake

In Hemingway's philosophical paradigm, it is subconsciously encoded that Jake suffers with poise and refinement. He does not become irate with Brett for her decision, by contrast, he accepts her promiscuity and even chooses to help her in a multitude of ways, even though she repeatedly claims that she loves him. Consequentially, this is not to say that Jake did not suffer, rather than to suggest that he keeps his pain suppressed so as not to enervate himself any further. Jake knows the two can never initiate a relationship yet he still wishes to do so; his undying desire to be with Brett serves as his illusion even though it is a complete contradiction of his reality, as presented in the novel. This is the disheartening romantic imagery that deceits his realistic views. For example, in Chapter 7, Hemingway’s use of minimum dialogue between Brett and Jake has much meaning, which is rarely expressed throughout the novel. “Couldn’t we live together, Brett? …” “I don’t think so. I’d just tromper you with everybody.” (p. 62) Essentially, what Brett is saying is that due to his – handicap, if you will, all she would do is hurt Jake and commit constant infidelity against him, therefore, any chance for commitment is but a joke. This direct dialogue sets the underlying conflict as a form for one of the main themes expressed by Hemingway throughout this novel.

The novel begins with Jake Barnes, the narrator, giving a description of Robert Cohn. His description of Cohn is not particularly favorable as it illustrates that Jake has little respect for Cohn. He describes Robert Cohn as a Jew, not in reference to his religion but more so as a flaw in his character. This is evident in statements like, “No one had ever made him feel he was a Jew” (Hemingway 12) and “He had a hard, Jewish, stubborn streak” (Hemingway 18). The language Hemingway uses here is significant because it is the first introduction to the disconnection between these characters and their faiths. Like Jake, Robert Cohn is

Hemingway's world is one in which things do not grow and bear fruit, but explode, break, decompose, or are eaten away. It is saved from total misery by visions of endurance, by what happiness the body can give when it does not hurt, by interludes of love which

In the first chapters of Ernest Hemingway’s novel, The Sun Also Rises, we start to look into what is to be considered to be the New Woman in the 1920s. Young woman with bobbed hair and short skirts who drank, smoked and said “unladylike” things, in addition to being more sexually free than previous generations. “This later New Woman pushed past the example of the preceding generation by infringing on the masculine in her physical appearance as well as in her level of education and career choice by combining masculine and feminine traits” (Yu). In the first chapters of this novel Hemingway emphasizes the New Woman and their social culture. He does this by his portrayal of Brett. Brett in the novel is the perfect example of the New Woman in her apperance, the role she plays, and how she uses sexuality.

In The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway writes “nobody ever lives their life all the way up except bull-fighters” (100). Spoken by Jake, this line exemplifies the importance that bullfighting plays in the novel. It's not only portrayed as a sport, but rather as a complex, mathematical art in the form of a dance between the bull and fighter. The matador scene in chapter 18 is perhaps one of the richest in the novel due to it's use of symbols. The choreography between Romero and the bull is reflective not only of the characterization of Brett and Jake, but of the relationship between Brett, her masculinity, and her