Essay About Primary Men And Following Lines

The Sun Also Rises
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In the The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway portrays how a group of
expatriates especially Jake, Robert, and Mike are severely damaged by war after World
War I, and are relentlessly fighting for one womans affection. They were damaged
physically, emotionally, and spiritually. These men are, for the most part and unlike
Romero, incredibly dysfunctional, unsure of where they are going and what
their lives will bring. The three primary men demonstrating such dysfunctional
qualities are Jake, Robert, and Mike. A commonality among these men is all
are involved, at one point or another, with Brett, a woman who shares their charact-
eristics and is ultimately as dysfunctional as the men. These men are all drawn to
her and need Brett, but they find no hope or comfort in their relationship with her
because she is just as lost as they are.
Brett continues to be a destructive force, and it most definitely
should be noted that other relationships in which she engaged did
not prove destructive to the men. Two so called pawns Bill and the Count
were not damaged primarily because they possessed confidence in themselves and
in their lives. They were not obsessed with Brett and did not think that she
could be the answer to their problems. Brett had little affect upon these
men who were in control of their lives and emotionally healthy. However, she did
have control over Jake, Robert, and Mike because they were lost, part of that lost
generation that Hemingway often wrote about. And Brett, being as lost as the
men, truly fell into the destructive relationships, thrived on them, and even
unconsciously looked for them.
Brett is clearly one of those type of women who seems to seek out men who
need her. She thrives on that need and then quickly dismisses them for one reason or
another. She feels wanted and needed by these men, but never finds happiness
with them because of the fact that they need her. However, this is what fuels
her, making her feel loved and useful. She is perhaps incapable of finding a
real relationship. And, even when we imagine that she could have had such a
relationship with Jake, we realize that she only appeared truly smitten with him
because he could not meet her needs sexually. It is the old story of believing
she may have wanted something because she couldnt have it.
Jake is clearly disabled and unable to “perform” sexually with Brett.
However, the need for love has not diminished by any means, in fact it has increased.
Through Jakes experiences in the war he is, as we have noted, clearly looking
for some value, some meaning, in his life. Despite his inability to perform, he
seeks meaning and value through some sort of sexual relationship with Brett.
Even though sex is not present in their relationship, the dream of such a
reality, the sexual hope and need, is still powerfully present. This clearly
presents us with a picture of a man who feels he is unworthy, and who society
feels is unworthy, because he is not sexually active, something that truly
defines a man.
Sex is the foundation of this relationship because it is nonexistent and
thus becomes the desired object that helps to define the lack of a relationship.
Each one relies on sex to define themselves and his or her relationship. And, Brett
as perhaps a typical female to Hemingway is solely reliant on her sexuality. If it
cannot be confirmed and used to get what she wants, then a woman has no
identity. This is subtly presented in the following lines between Brett and Jake
when Jake tries to kiss her: “You mustnt. You must know. I cant stand it,
thats all. Oh darling, please understand! Dont you love me? Love you? I
simply turn all to jelly when you touch me” (Hemingway 26).