An oddly distinct characteristic of by The Sun Also Rises Ernest Hemingway is
the portrayal of gender in each of the main characters. The lines between the
sexes are blurred as Lady Brett Ashley takes on a masculine, leading role in
her relationships and Jake Barnes is “crippled” into what can be perceived as a
weak, female state by his inability to procreate. One of the leading themes in
the novel is the way that these characters interact with each other – and that
of course is affected by the gender identity. By portraying both men and women
as weak and strong, Hemingway is making a statement about gender fluidity and
how the sexes aren’t as different as they appear.
During
a time in which women were gaining more freedom to change, the leading (and
basically sole) female character in Ernest Hemingway’s novel, Lady Brett Ashley,
demonstrates this new age femme with her carefree nature. She dresses like a
boy, has short hair, and spends most, if not all, her time surrounded by men. She
controls the lives of the men around her with her mere presence. Although she
is kind of presented as a two-dimensional character who is manipulative and
fickle, her past is revealed to be an abusive one in which she was forced to
flee from her husband and become a stronger, independent woman. This character
makes evident the how multifaceted a person can be by having characteristics
associated with both genders.
In
contrast to the “mannish” Lady Brett Ashley, the “unmanned” Jake Barnes
(Banache 38) is an example of the emasculated victims of World War I. His
inability to leave Brett after countless occurrences of her emotional infidelity
and Brett’s reason for not staying with him (the consummation of their love being
a physical impossibility) are both ways that Hemingway presents Jake as non-traditional
male. Jake isn’t the only non-traditional male either – with Robert Cohn there
is an even more striking example of femininity in Hemingway’s fictional male. Even
though he “cared nothing for boxing,” Cohn dedicates himself to the sport to
learn to defend himself from the “emotional injury of being tormented for his
Jewish heritage” (Banache 38). By suggesting that gender may be learned or
performative, Hemingway questions the very core definitions of male and female.
Despite
that it may seem as if the gender roles have switched, they have not
completely. There are still traces of both stereotyped genders in every
character. Brett is still needy and self-conscious – using Jake for romantic
love and financial stability at times. Jake is still jealous and independent,
he gets into a physical fight with Robert Cohn in order to prove his masculinity
and authority. His superiority-complex shines through when he discusses the
life-choices of his comrades – for example, his disdain of Cohn’s romantic idea
of South America. Ironically, they are similar; both Cohn and Jake share the
characteristic of being masochistic. Their stubborn nature is an example of
both masculinity and femininity. Although Robert’s longing for a romantic life
is mostly ridiculed by the other men in The
Sun Also Rises, Jake is still a romantic character and represents a new kind-of romanticism
where intimacy in found not in physical consummation but in sensitivity. His
role as narrator gives to Jake a kind of love that he and the characters around
him cannot find in a hopeless post-war generation.
What
lead Hemingway to write his characters in such a way? His accurate reflections
on the reality of gender in society is what made The Sun Also Rises so wildly popular (Unrue). Women had to learn to
be strong during the absence of men during World War I and men came back
emotionally vulnerable and physically weak. It’s not so much a matter of
Hemingway creating the issue of androgyny as much as it was an accurate
representation of what the nation and people in the warring countries were
going through. Lady Brett Ashley, Robert Cohn, and Jake Barnes are not the only
characters that Hemingway utilizes to demonstrate the gender role switch and
changes in expectations of the people during this time. Francis Clyne is a
confrontational woman who doesn’t want children and Georgette is a prostitute who
orders a drink for herself and makes a living for herself as well in a loveless
society. Both women are examples of a more fluid definition of their sex. The
minor male characters like Michael and Count Mippipopolous perform their sex as
if it were a show, masquerading as if they were extremely masculine post-war
heroes. They do this in order to hide their insecurities as men in the same
loveless society. Since all the characters demonstrate some form of gender
fluidity then it is evident that it may be both Hemingway’s statement about
gender as well as the actual changes occurring in the mid-1920’s that make
these characters so dynamic.
The Sun Also Rises is a book about human
nature and its resilience. The characters adapt to change or fall behind;
learning that despite the metaphorical stormy night that seems to define their entire
lives, the sun also rises, there is still hope. The characters adapting to
change is evident in their gender fluidity – adapting to a new generation and
doing what they feel that they must, almost to a fault, to find some semblance
of happiness. Hemingway seems to be suggesting perhaps a less severe version of
what his fictional characters choose to do in order to make it to the next day.
He highlights Jake’s good characteristics: a sensitive individual who is
cautious and passionate, mainly feminine traits and also highlights Brett’s
good characteristics: tenacity and individualism, the strong qualities usually
identified in males. The Sun Also Rises suggests
that by adapting to both genders’ traits, a person can be more resilient and
well-rounded and can increase their chances of a happier outcome in life during
a post-war generation that longs for security, prosperity, and romance.
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