The most compelling character in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises is unquestionably the flamboyant, sexy, and independent Lady Brett Ashley. Brett represents a new kind of woman who is freed from sexist stereotypes. She abandons the confines of marriage, instead floating between various men who satisfy her sexual and financial needs. However, Brett doesn't always behave morally to those around her, and many readers see Brett as a selfish, manipulative character. Hemingway depicts Brett in a way that criticizes her flamboyance and sexual desires, making her seem like a classic "bitch" - a woman who has overstepped the boundaries that men create.
While Brett isn't faithful to any of her partners, I would argue that Hemingway's masculine voice is what makes Brett seem like such an unkind person. As a man living in the postwar period, Hemingway and other men would have felt threatened by women like Lady Brett. In fact, Brett's sexual flamboyance and promiscuity would have been considered much more acceptable if she were a man. Brett is a woman who assumes the typically masculine role of the unfaithful, carefree, and broke drifter who relies on their partners to pay the bills. Hemingway writes Brett's character in a way that makes her seem dangerous, portraying Brett as the perpetrator and heartbreaker who makes the men around her suffer.
However, I would argue that Brett's flamboyance is out of necessity. Before meeting Jake, Brett was trapped in a physically and emotionally abusive relationship with Lord Ashley. After escaping to Europe, Brett would have had few options for surviving in a male-dominated society. By relying on her beauty to secure relationships with wealthy men, Brett is able to achieve independence. But instead of commenting on Brett's strength as an independent woman, Hemingway criticizes her for being flamboyant and unfaithful. I think it's unfair that Hemingway chooses to criticize Lady Brett for living in one of the few ways that an independent woman could survive in 20th century Europe.
While Brett isn't faithful to any of her partners, I would argue that Hemingway's masculine voice is what makes Brett seem like such an unkind person. As a man living in the postwar period, Hemingway and other men would have felt threatened by women like Lady Brett. In fact, Brett's sexual flamboyance and promiscuity would have been considered much more acceptable if she were a man. Brett is a woman who assumes the typically masculine role of the unfaithful, carefree, and broke drifter who relies on their partners to pay the bills. Hemingway writes Brett's character in a way that makes her seem dangerous, portraying Brett as the perpetrator and heartbreaker who makes the men around her suffer.
However, I would argue that Brett's flamboyance is out of necessity. Before meeting Jake, Brett was trapped in a physically and emotionally abusive relationship with Lord Ashley. After escaping to Europe, Brett would have had few options for surviving in a male-dominated society. By relying on her beauty to secure relationships with wealthy men, Brett is able to achieve independence. But instead of commenting on Brett's strength as an independent woman, Hemingway criticizes her for being flamboyant and unfaithful. I think it's unfair that Hemingway chooses to criticize Lady Brett for living in one of the few ways that an independent woman could survive in 20th century Europe.
I don't know if Hemingway specifically made her seem "dangerous", or if Hemingway feels threatened by her. I don't think he portrays her as the villain - all the characters have their own faults, which is what happens to make them so gripping and interesting. (We love to hate them, or hate to love them!)
ReplyDeleteBut I completely agree that Brett's "flamboyance", as you say, is out of necessity. It was really the only option for her. I think she was pushed into a place where she had absolutely no power, and now she's overcompensating by making sure she can do what she wants. She needs to make sure that the men she's emotionally manipulating know that they have no power over her, no emotional hold over her like she has over them.
(But I'm not sure if this necessarily makes her more of a villain. I think Hemingway might have realized her compelling-ness and her necessity for relationships while writing her character and purposefully made her sympathetic, but I don't know.)
I find your point interesting that the men in this novel feel threatened by Brett and her typically "masculine" traits. Because of the way the book is written, I feel that the reader (of any gender) would probably label Brett as a bitch, at least on some level, yet when we look at it from a modern perspective, her behavior is much more normal and acceptable.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Other people have commented on this as well, but it seems unfair that Brett's promiscuity is portrayed negatively, when what she does is actually very morally sound and well within her rights. She never cheats behind people's backs; the guys she's in relationships with know that she isn't going to be faithful, and they at least sometimes pretend to be okay with it. However, when Cohn cheats on Frances behind her back no one cares. Jake's only criticism about that whole affair (before he learns it was with Brett) is that Cohn allows Frances to say passive-aggressive things about it to Jake.
ReplyDeleteI see your point, but i'm not sure that all of her little relationships are necessary for her well-being. Maybe i'm missing something, but I don't see why she is forced to economically dependent on other men. If she wanted true independence, then she would sustain herself financially, in which case she wouldn't need to have all of these relationships. I would also note that when she watches Romero fight the bulls and is entranced by how graceful he is and how attractive he is, she didn't decide to start a relationship with him because she has too-- it seems like she really wants to. If it were purely for the money, she would she seems safe with Jake.
ReplyDeleteI do agree, Brett is probably criticized more harshly because she is being portrayed through the eyes of a man. Cohn was divorced and had a child. He even sent Frances away when he wanted to go to San Sebastian with Brett. Although he is not portrayed in a positive way, none of the reasons why people dislike him are because of his relationships or sexuality. Brett seems to receive the most criticism for the same actions that men commit.
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