the sun also rises
Prevalent among many of Ernest Hemingway's novels is the concept popularly known as the "Hemingway hero", an ideal character readily accepted by American readers as a "man's man". In The Sun Also Rises, four different men are compared and contrasted as they engage in some form of relationship with Lady Brett Ashley, a near-nymphomaniac Englishwoman who indulges in her passion for sex and control. Brett plans to marry her fiancee for superficial reasons, completely ruins one man emotionally and spiritually, separates from another to preserve the idea of their short-lived affair and to avoid self-destruction, and denies and disgraces the only man whom she loves most dearly. All her relationships occur in a period of months, as Brett either accepts or rejects certain values or traits of each man. Brett, as a dynamic and self-controlled woman, and her four love interests help demonstrate Hemingway's standard definition of a man and/or masculinity. Each man Brett has a relationship with in the novel possesses distinct qualities that enable Hemingway to explore what it is to truly be a man. TheHemingway man thus presented is a man of action, of self-discipline and self-reliance, and of strength and courage to confront all weakne
Brett and believes that this conquest makes him a hero. When Brett appears with her fiance Mike, Cohn still believes that they are destined for an ideal love despite her blatant coldness to him. However, it is apparent that Brett simply used Cohn to satisfy her sexual cravings: "'He behaved rather well'" (83, Ch. 9). Cohn does not understand the triviality of their trip to San Sebastian in Brett's mind and has become dependent on her attention and affection. In his rampant drunkenness, Mike blasts Cohn: "'What if Brett did sleep with you? She's slept with lots of better people than you. Tell me Robert, Why do you follow Brett around like a poor bloody steer? Don't you know you're not wanted?'" (143, Ch. 13). Cohn is like an adolescent, as he vainly ignores the truth and continues to love Brett: "He could not stop looking at Brett. It seemed to make him happy. It must have been pleasant for him to see her looking so lovely, and know he had been away with her and that every one knew it. They couldn't take that away from him" (146, Ch. 13). Cohn over-exaggerates the significance of his affair with Brett. He does not understand that Brett simply used him and that their brief relationship has no meaning to her. Moreover, Cohn cannot conduct himself with dignity and he intrudes upon people and places where he is obviously not wanted. Naively, Cohn dwells on the fact that he has slept with Brett and obsesses with her. When Brett begins to show signs of interest in Pedro Romero, Cohn irrationally approaches Jake demanding to know Brett's whereabouts, punches him in the jaw, and then calls him a pimp (190-91, Ch. 17). sses, fears, failures, and even death. Pedro Romero, on the other hand, comes closest to the embodiment of Hemingway's hero. Brett is almost immediately enchanted by this handsome, nineteen year-old, a promising matador. Pedro, a fearless figure who frequently confronts death in his occupation, is not afraid in the bullring and controls the bulls like a master. Pedro is the first man since Jake who causes Brett to lose her self-control: "'I can't help it. I'm a goner now, anyway. Don't you see the difference? I've got to do something. I've got to do something I really want to do. I've lost my self-respect" (183, Ch. 16). In contrast, Pedro maintains his self-control in his first encounter with Brett: "He felt there was something between them. He must have felt it when Brett gave him her hand. He was being very careful" (185, Ch. 16). Brett falls in love with Pedro as a hero who promises new excitement. In the scene between Pedro and Cohn described previously, Pedro demonstrates his confidence and strong will. Knocked down time and time again, Pedro rises each time refusing to be beaten. His controlled and dignified demeanor in an unusual situation contrast sharply with Cohn's fear and weakness. After Cohn and Brett's short-lived affair in San Sebastian, Cohn is nervous around Jake: "Cohn had been rather nervous ever since we had met at Bayone. He did not know whether we knew Brett had been with him at San Sebastian, and it made him rather awkward" (94, Ch. 10). Moreover, Cohn is scared that when Brett appears she will embarrass him and so he does not have the maturity to behave appropriately in front of Jake and his friend, Bill Gorton. Nonetheless, Cohn is proud of his affair with Baldwin, Marc. Hemingway's Political Unconscious, Lang, Peter Publishing Incorporated: 1998 pg 168 After the departure of their first meeting, Jake feels miserable: "This was Brett, that I had felt like crying about. Then I thought of her walking up the street and of course in a little while I felt like hell again" (34, Ch. 4). Lady Brett Ashley serves as a challenge to a weakness Jake must confront. Since his war experience, Jake has attempted to reshape the man he is and the first step in doing this is to accept his impotence. Despite Brett's undeniable love for Jake, she is engaged to marry another
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Approximate Word count = 2751
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)
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