Trauma In The Sun Also Rises

The novel The Sun Also Rises (1954) by Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) is told from the perspective of Jake Barnes, the protagonist, who suffered an impactful penile injury from World War I. While in the hospital, a lovely young woman, Brett, tended to him as her patient. However, over the years, they developed confusing romantic feelings for each other. Although Brett later moved on from man to man after several failed marriages, Jake continued to have a deep romantic interest in her. Correspondingly, Jake suffers what is initially physical trauma which then develops into psychological trauma. Some people may refer to this as PTSD, which, in Jake’s case, taints all of his relationships but has a particular effect on his romantic relationship.

Robert, one of Jake’s friends, revealed that he had feelings for Brett as well. Nonetheless, during a vacation in Spain, Jake learns that Robert had an affair with Brett while she was away at San Sebastian. Jake receives a telegram from Brett and reads it aloud to toy with Robert’s feelings: “Why I felt that impulse to devil him I do not know. Of course I do know. I was blind, unforgivingly jealous of what had happened to him... I do not think I ever really hated him until he had that little spell of superiority at lunch” (Hemingway 105). Jake cannot have sexual ties with Brett due to his penile injury from war. Consequently, this contributes into the psychological trauma caused by the injury due to the decrease in his self-esteem. Instinctively, this triggers penis envy; Jake desires the power that is presented by having a penis. Jake’s impotence causes him to believe he is emasculated which is equivalent to having no power. At this moment, Jake becomes “unforgivingly jealous” of the power Robert attained over him because of Brett; Jake “[hates] him” for having the advantage with Brett. This shows a clear sign of the psychological trauma that Jake must endure. Meaning, Jake’s id unconsciously triggers him to act on “impulse” in the attempt to prove to Robert that he has power by reading the telegram aloud and putting it in his pocket.

Throughout the novel, Brett consistently relies on Jake for reassurance after each of her involvements with different men. Consequently, this emotionally destabilized Jake because of their past romantic history. The chaos in his relationship with Brett is shown through the trough; he tries to avoid getting caught in the big waves which eventually “made [him] tired” physically when swimming but emotionally when with Brett. When he turned “and swam out to the raft,” he turned away from his exhausting relationship with Brett. After Jake took a rest on the raft, he dove in the water, but, this time, swam back “slowly and steadily in to shore,” representing Jake acknowledging the situation of his relationship with Brett and moving forward in his life. He “[came] up through the lightening water,” showing that the swim back is a cleanse for him of his tainted relationship. This shows that Jake is progressively becoming emotionally stable. Although he is evidently not completely over her, hence the reason why he goes to Madrid, he is still slowly working towards