The Sun Also Rises Gender Roles Essay

A novel in which male characters are strongly represented with only one main female character is distinctive, while it brings up the topic of masculinity. Looking at Ernest Hemingway’s novel, “The Sun Also Rises,” the topic of masculinity is easily recognizable. Looking back decades ago, masculinity is defined much more differently. Times change and people are expected to “fit in” - but men are still expected to show those strong attributions and behaviors. Hemingway’s stories reveal how he expects men to be and the role they should play in society. In “The Sun Also Rises,” the male characters are competitive with each other, often showing it in unpredictable ways. In Hemingway’s view, there are two kinds of men: the macho bullfighting man whom has courage and follows a ” code of honor”- the ideal man. Or the one that does not prove how much of man he should be. Keeping in mind that the novel was written over nearly ninety years ago, times have changed. Men were expected to be these strong and have these muscular physiques but also with a emotionally strong mindset. Looking at our era, men can be whatever they desire, even acquire female attributions - but that’s not relevant. As one of the characters is exposed to homosexuality, it is frowned up - since it is an inauthentic way to live …show more content…
Reading more in depth into his life, his novels tend to reflect a part of his life. Failing to maintain a secure relationship can affect a man’s masculinity, making him question why he is failing as a man. As a mentioned before, about holding a woman down, Hemingway was not able to do so. Perhaps in a way, Hemingway’s lack of masculinity was trying to be proven throughout his writings. Masculinity appears to be crucial to Hemingway as in his short story the portrayal of one of the main characters meets the expectations he has for these male