Theme Of Emasculation In Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises

Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises had an obvious strong theme of emasculation and feminization. Throughout this novel, Hemingway’s characters search for a meaning in life and for ways to define themselves. Jake Barnes, the narrator of the story, is the most emasculated of all but I believe he is still the only person within the novel with a sense of self. In this essay, I will explain why I believe Jake represents the emasculation of the lost generation and Brett represents the feminization of men. Very early in the novel, it is revealed that Jake was injured in the war, and it left him incapable of having sex. Jake had declined to kiss Georgette, a prostitute, and had told her that he was “sick.” This shows that he is reluctant to really …show more content…
Whether it was physically, morally, psychologically, or financially, these injuries affected them and it’s the reasoning for their purposeless life, which is why they are called the “Lost Generation.” The injury also symbolizes how the people in this novel want meaning and fulfillment, but they lack the ability and means to find it. This is shown through Jake being incapable of having sex, but the injury didn’t make him lose the desire. In The Sun Also Rises the only time Jake is truly happy and serene is when he is on his fishing trip with Bill. “There, in a world without women, they fish with skill and precision, drink wine (naturally chilled in the stream) instead of whiskey, relate to the hearty exuberance of the Basque peasantry, and feel serene in the rhythms of nature.” (Mazzeno, 3) When Jake and Bill return to town and meet with Brett and the others, all sense of serenity is destroyed. ‘I hope you’re not thinking of …show more content…
“Brett breaks the traditional feminine mould; she is an empowered, dominating, masculine woman and therefore represents the feminization of men.” (Riehl) I don’t believe Hemingway was trying to insult women of the time but rather challenge the men. Jake was the only character that truly embraced Brett and the new feminized masculinity. This shows how he refused to fit the traditional mold of a man in that time. Basically, Brett and Jake both refuse to meet the normal gender roles of the time and therefor they make new statement about masculinity and femininity. Jake is the only man in the novel that embraces Brett’s empowerment and therefore I feel is the only true man because he demonstrates a moral masculinity. Jake doesn’t rely on sexuality to prove his masculinity, yet, he endures Brett’s exaggerated sexuality and embraces