The Sun Also Rises By Ernest Hemingway
In the novel The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, the author introduces women in a new light. The women of this time are more independent, masculine, and carefree. They do not conform to the way society tells them to act. Hemingway shows these changes that occur in the 20th century through the character Lady Brett Ashley. Although Hemingway depicts his female characters as being strong, he is highly opinionated regarding the effects of their behaviors on society. Hemingway believes that women like these are bound to make an impact that is not as positive as they intend it to be. He shows this by making Brett a desirable and extraordinary woman; she causes men to go into a frenzy whenever she is near them because she does not act like a woman should.
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Lady Brett Ashley is the perfect example of a woman from this time period because of her flamboyant and carefree attitude towards life.
She is promiscuous and unsympathetic towards the feelings of her admirers. Her lack of commitment makes her desirable to men mainly because people tend to want what they cannot have. Jake makes a comment about how she likes to “add them up” (30), to which she replies “Oh, well. What if I do?” This proves her carelessness as well as her ability to control her surroundings. She never apologizes for her actions, even when she has no intention of hurting the people she really cares about. Given the choice, she chooses what is expedient rather than what is right. She is a very attractive female, but what makes her even more attractive is her masculine clothing and hair. As Hemingway says on page 29, “Brett was damned good-looking. She wore a slipover Jersey sweater and a tweed skirt, and her hair was brushed back like a boy’s...She was built with curves like the hull of a racing yacht, and you missed none of it with that wool
Jersey.”
Brett reduces the men who love her to animals. In a way, they worship her and let her take advantage of them. Robert Cohn’s infatuation is evident when Mike states “He calls her a Circe. He claims she turns men into swine.”(148) She has a certain attribute that makes her loveable despite her flaws. When Romero tells Brett to grow out her hair, she immediately leaves him because she does not want to change for anyone. “He was ashamed of me for a while, you know... He wanted me to grow my hair out...He said it would make me more womanly.” Brett has a tendency to rebel against the common gender roles of the time.
Hemingway definitely has a strong opinion that these types of independent women are dangerous to society. Romero is the only noble character in the novel, and many other character do not approve of his relations with Lady Brett. Montoya’s concern for Lady Brett wanting to meet with Romero for coffee proves that both men know it is not a good idea for him to do so. Montoya says on page 176, “People take a boy like that. They don’t know what he’s worth. They don’t know what he means. Any foreigner can flatter him.” They are both scared that Brett will be a distraction from what he is meant to do. Hemingway clearly shows his disapproval of strong females in society that do not conform to the normal behaviors. He provokes the thought that a woman like this is detrimental to a man’s success and causes more problems than intended.
In conclusion, Hemingway
Lady Brett Ashley is the perfect example of a woman from this time period because of her flamboyant and carefree attitude towards life.
She is promiscuous and unsympathetic towards the feelings of her admirers. Her lack of commitment makes her desirable to men mainly because people tend to want what they cannot have. Jake makes a comment about how she likes to “add them up” (30), to which she replies “Oh, well. What if I do?” This proves her carelessness as well as her ability to control her surroundings. She never apologizes for her actions, even when she has no intention of hurting the people she really cares about. Given the choice, she chooses what is expedient rather than what is right. She is a very attractive female, but what makes her even more attractive is her masculine clothing and hair. As Hemingway says on page 29, “Brett was damned good-looking. She wore a slipover Jersey sweater and a tweed skirt, and her hair was brushed back like a boy’s...She was built with curves like the hull of a racing yacht, and you missed none of it with that wool
Jersey.”
Brett reduces the men who love her to animals. In a way, they worship her and let her take advantage of them. Robert Cohn’s infatuation is evident when Mike states “He calls her a Circe. He claims she turns men into swine.”(148) She has a certain attribute that makes her loveable despite her flaws. When Romero tells Brett to grow out her hair, she immediately leaves him because she does not want to change for anyone. “He was ashamed of me for a while, you know... He wanted me to grow my hair out...He said it would make me more womanly.” Brett has a tendency to rebel against the common gender roles of the time.
Hemingway definitely has a strong opinion that these types of independent women are dangerous to society. Romero is the only noble character in the novel, and many other character do not approve of his relations with Lady Brett. Montoya’s concern for Lady Brett wanting to meet with Romero for coffee proves that both men know it is not a good idea for him to do so. Montoya says on page 176, “People take a boy like that. They don’t know what he’s worth. They don’t know what he means. Any foreigner can flatter him.” They are both scared that Brett will be a distraction from what he is meant to do. Hemingway clearly shows his disapproval of strong females in society that do not conform to the normal behaviors. He provokes the thought that a woman like this is detrimental to a man’s success and causes more problems than intended.
In conclusion, Hemingway