The Sun Also Rises Gender Roles Essay

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“Masculine and feminine roles are not biologically fixed but socially constructed.” The setting of Ernest Hemmingway’s The Sun Also Rises is essential to the reader’s understanding of gender dynamics. To further explain, the setting of The Sun Also Rises is placed after World War 1 where the characters experience changing gender roles. Ernest Hemmingway perceives Lady Brett Ashley (along with Cohn) as a masculine and leading role. Meanwhile, Jake is portrayed as a weak, feminine state as his condition heavily impacts his relationships. A character analysis of Jake, Brett, and Cohn reveals that through their actions, traits, and personalities influences their interactions between the characters in the book. The characters in The Sun Also Rises display or shatter gender stereotypes which effects their relationships. …show more content…

Brett’s male features breaks the traditional standards of female beauty. As she is first introduced in the book:
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 started all that. She was built with curves like the hull of a racing yacht, and you missed none of it with that wool jersey (Hemmingway 29). Brett is described as very manly with her boyish hair and jersey. As a result, she is promiscuous and tends to attract a handful of men. However, all the romantic/sexual relationships she has with other men fail to satisfy her emotional desires.
In contrast, Jake Barnes is not the typical stereotypical male. Jake is an example of the emasculated victims of World War I. As described in a dialogue between Jake and Georgette: “It's a shame you're sick. We get on well. What's the matter with you, anyway?"
"I got hurt in the war," I said.
"Oh, that dirty war” (Hemmingway

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