Masculinity in "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway's novel, The Sun Also Rises, is essentially two parallel stories in one. The small portion of the novel in which Hemingway describes the relationship between the bulls and steers symbolizes the encompassing story about Jake Barnes and his acquaintances. Ironically, the "bulls" in Jake's circle of friends aren't masculine at all. In fact, the two characters that are truly like "bulls" in the story are Brett, a woman, and Jake, the impotent narrator. Both Jake and Brett could be considered "steers" in many ways, but they are also more masculine than the "bulls." Masculinity has traditionally been associated with strength, and since Hemingway's least masculine characters are the stronger ones and the one's that live up to "Hemingway's Code," one must reevaluate the notion of "masculinity." In reevaluating the stereotypical masculinity, one begins to question society's traditions, and more specifically war, in general.

Throughout the entire novel, Jake's impotence is referenced several times, and is something with which he must continually deal. As the story progresses, it becomes obvious that his impotence is the only thing separating Jake and Brett. In the final scene of the story, Jake and Brett are once again alone together, thinking how happy they could have been: "'Oh Jake,' Brett said, 'we could have had such a damned good time together.'...The car slowed suddenly pressing Brett against me [Jake]. 'Yes.' I said. 'Isn't it pretty to think so?'" (Hemingway 247).

Hemingway's scene in which a bull gores a steer causes one to reflect upon Jake's relationship to the others, but in the long run, it is those who are physically "bulls," Mike and Robert, who continually gore each other. Jake does act as a steer, in that he "quiet[s] down the bulls and keep[s] them from breaking their horns against the stone walls, or goring each other" (Hemingway 133). Jake does act as a sort of intermediary when the others do not get along.

Robert, who is supposed to symbolize masculinity since he is a champion boxer and is not a "steer," ends up running away crying because he is unable to see Brett with other men. Hemingway means to conjure thoughts of Robert when Jake describes how bulls use their horns: "'Look how he knows how to use his horns,' I [Jake] said. 'He's got a left and a right just like a boxer.'" (Hemingway 139). Robert even beats up Pedro Romero, the young bullfighter, because he has been with Brett, but afterwards he breaks down sobbing and leaves town (Hemingway 201-203).

The other "bull," Mike, who is also in love with Brett, and is supposed to marry her, becomes just as weak as Robert. Mike turns to drinking heavily and insulting Robert constantly, because he cannot stand to see Robert around Brett. Mike "gores" Robert as if Robert was a steer, and even says that Robert would like being a steer: "'It's no life being a steer,' Robert Cohn said. 'Don't you think so?' Mike said. 'I would have thought you'd loved being a steer, Robert'" (Hemingway 141). Robert's "horns" are his fists, and Mike's "horns" are his insults. Like bulls, Robert and Mike are territorial and fight amongst themselves, but they are the weak characters, the steers, in the long run.

On one occasion, when Mike is drunk, he shouts, "Tell him [Romero] bulls have no balls" (Hemingway 175). On one hand, Mike's statement could mean that the "bulls," Mike and Robert, lack backbones. On the other hand, his statement implies that the "bulls" in the novel are those without balls, Brett and Jake.

Although Jake is impotent, and therefore not physically considered one of the "bulls," he is much stronger, emotionally, than Robert and Mike. Jake has been in love with Brett longer than Mike or Robert, and yet, he is the only one who can stand to see her with other men. He is always there for her to fall to, and he is always welcome with the others because he does not pose a threat to Brett's lovers. However, he is constantly tortured by the thought that he is the one person in Brett's life with whom she could be content. He calls himself "hard-boiled" (Hemingway 34), but admits that he is torn up by his love for Brett. Jake is strong because he lacks the pettiness that the others seem to revel in, just as the steers are commendable because they allow themselves to be gored, and do not try to fight back.

Lady Brett is quite possibly the most masculine character in the novel. Society, especially in the 1920s, conceived masculinity differently than we do today. Until recently, it was normal and acceptable for men to drink and take part in promiscuous activities. Men were seen as physically strong, and not as emotional beings. Lady Brett is an example of all of these traditionally male characteristics. She has innumerable lovers, like a bull who services many cows. She drinks constantly, and yet rarely exhibits drunkenness like Robert and Mike do, which shows a strength of sorts.

Brett is, perhaps, emotionally unstable, but she is strong enough to overcome this factor. She has been through quite a bit of pain, dealing with her first husband, the loss of her "true love" in World War I, and the futile realization that she could be truly happy with Jake. He is the only person that satisfies her emotional needs, if only he were not incapable of satisfying her physical needs.

Lady Brett first enters the novel surrounded by a group of homosexuals in a bar. The homosexuals, who could be seen as steers, along with Jake, who technically is a steer, are the only people with whom Brett is truly comfortable, just as a bull is calmed down by being surrounded by steers. Jake and the homosexuals do not pose a threat to Brett in any way, and therefore she can let her guard down around them.

Hemingway actually describes Brett as exhibiting masculine characteristics. She wears her hair short at a time when women generally had long hair. In the first scene that includes Brett, "she [wears] a slipover jersey sweater and a tweed skirt, and her hair [is] brushed back like a boy's" (Hemingway 22). Although she is wearing a skirt, the rest of her attire seems rather masculine, and it is almost surprising that she does not wear pants as well since she does not follow traditional gender guidelines in any other respect.

Hemingway's Code, is a set social and moral of guidelines that the ideal masculine characters in his novel exhibit. According to the code, one should always repay debts, never appear drunk, and keep one's word, among other characteristics. Of the four main characters, Brett and Jake are the two that live up to Hemingway's Code. Brett and Jake hold their liquor well, and both always repay their debts, though not necessarily in monetary terms. Mike and Robert do not hold their liquor well. Robert fails to gracefully accept failure, while Mike goes further and further into debt with no intention of repaying any of it.

The final important character in the novel is the bullfighter, Pedro Romero. He is a bullfighter in more than the literal sense, although he is a master of the literal bulls as well. Romero stands against Robert's punches just as a bullfighter deals with the attacks of a bull: "'It seems the bull-fighter fellow was sitting on the bed. He'd been knocked down about fifteen times, and he wanted to fight some more" (Hemingway 202). The resilience of the bullfighter is amazing.

As a bullfighter, Romero has effectively crushed his opponents, but also effectively deals with the bull, Brett. He does not kill this bull, however, but he does manage to partially tame her, and Brett does believe she is in love with him, but ultimately she rebels and refuses to change just so Romero won't be "ashamed" of her (Hemingway 242). Brett also leaves him because she is afraid she will "ruin" him (Hemingway 243). In Brett's case, the bullfighter goes in for the kill (marriage to Brett) but in the end, it is the one fight he does not win.

Once one reads The Sun Also Rises and contemplates the gender roles in the novel, it is not hard to question society's concept of what is "masculine." Since the novel in 1926, it is best to think about traditional gender roles, which have changed a bit in the past eighty years. Before World War I, going to war was considered a heroic, masculine act. In Hemingway's novel, and also in some of his other stories, the glory of war is questioned. In The Sun Also Rises, the most heroic characters, Brett and Jake, are the ones who are least masculine, and also who do not fight. Robert fights with his fists and runs away, and Mike fights with his words and drinks to escape, but Hemingway does not glorify them for this violence or cowardice. Instead, he makes the fighters into fools, and one feels compassion for Jake and Brett, because they are brave in a non-violent sense. Brett gives up her lover, Pedro Romero, because she does not want to ruin him. Jake lives his life running from place to place in the shadow of Brett and her numerous lovers, but he seems happy just to be around her. Brett and Jake plow through life, basically knowing they will never be happy, but they try to enjoy themselves anyway. They are strong because they do not use violence to solve their problems.

Since Hemingway was very condemning of war after World War I, one can assume that the theme of "strength in non-violence" that is apparent in The Sun Also Rises, is part of a larger view, in which war is not a necessary component of solving problems. Strength is exhibited by the two characters that manage to be both the most masculine, and the least masculine at once. There are few scenes in the book that deal directly with the war, but Hemingway does reference it when describing Jake's impotence, and the war is also mentioned in reference to Mike, who makes light of the way in which many people saw glory in war: "'Seems some chap had left them [medals] to be cleaned. Frightfully military cove. Set hell's own store by them'" (Hemingway 136). The medals symbolize the glory and honor of war, which after World War I were questioned by many, including Hemingway, who saw that war is full of death and destruction, and the lives of soldiers and civilians is not worth the "glory" of winning. In war there are no winners, as is evidenced by Jake's situation.

After reading The Sun Also Rises, one cannot help but admire Jake and Brett, despite their many faults. In the end, they both make sacrifices for the good of others. In contrast, Robert and Mike progress into fools who let their struggle for masculinity overcome their humanity. They turn into bullies who hurt others just to feel better about themselves. Hemingway's role reversals effectively show how ridiculous it is for people to be so caught up in traditions and stereotypes. Despite the fact that his Code is termed "masculine," it does not pertain only to male characters. He shows that sometimes, traditional notions of gender put ridiculous limitations on society.

Work Cited

Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970.