Gaston Mclemore


Dr. Tatia Jacobson

AML 3041-02

September 24, 2009



"The Manly Man"- (Hemingway Blog Question 1)

Subtlety, Implication, Inadequacy, sufficiency, attachment yet detachment, inferiority and superiority, Misogyny or misandry? On the periphery this may appear as a conjunctive placement of antonyms to make up an introduction, which is debatable. Although, I ask to gaze into the substance of those terms in relation to Hemingway’s protagonists. It is factually known that this novel “The Sun Also Rises” was published in 1926 approximately seven years after World War I. During this era there was a concoction of issues such as gender, racial as well as cultural. As this blog proceeds take note of the distinction yet relation, and significance.

Jake is obviously the narrator and protagonist. It’s clear the central shaping of Jakes role surrounds his post-war intellect mentally, physically, and psychologically. You have to take notice of the subtlety of the distinction he draws. He’d rather talk around topics than speak directly or specifically unless he’s comfortable or initiated especially when dealing with his injury or the war. In chapter I, it states “What’s the matter with you, anyway? (Georgette)” I got hurt in the war,” (Jake said) “Oh, that dirty war.” We would probably have gone on and discussed the war and agreed that it was in reality a calamity for civilization and perhaps would have been better avoided. I was bored enough (24-25). After heavy consumption of bottles of wine with Georgette was he comfortable or “bored enough” to discuss it.

In addition, Hemingway portrays Jake as an individual who’s very insecure about his masculinity, which Jake embodies. Hemingway’s method of graphing is to say little with a lot of communication. For instance, in chapter VII Jake questions “Couldn’t we live together Brett? “ Couldn’t we just live together?” said Jake. Brett firmly answered “I don’t think so. I’d just tromper you with everybody. (62)” This shed lights on the heart of the novel as well as Jake’s characterization. He pleads for Brett to be with him but she rejects exclaiming she would always “tromper” him. My interpretation is that she’s promoting bluntly that she’ll crush his heart or cheat on him. Jake’s assumption is that it’s because of his injury, which follows Hemingway’s depiction of male insecurity.

Interestingly, Hemingway shows another dimension into Jake’s personality by acknowledging the barrenness of the lost generation way of life. He tells Robert Cohn in Chapter II “you can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another. (62)” He’s able to recognize the harsh behavior that he and his friends constantly engage in, showing the awareness and open mind that Jake can have.

Hemingway introduces Robert Cohn, which brings us to the second protagonist. His characterization almost deviates from the rest of the crowd humorously, seeming like a “lost character” amongst the “lost generation”. Cohn is non-veteran and comes from a wealthy, Jewish family. Commonly as Jake, Hemingway constructs Cohn with insecurity issues as well. In Chapter I Jake describes Cohn emotionally as feeling like an outsider and inferior. It states “He cared for nothing for boxing, in fact he disliked it but he learned it painfully and thoroughly to counteract the feeling of inferiority and shyness he had felt on being treated as a Jew at Princeton. (62)” Ironically this quote visually set the stage for the theme and pattern for the story that builds on competitiveness and resentment between men and insecurity.

In closing I believe the uniqueness of the portrayals of Robert and Jake is that there very much as alike as well as different? I say that because of the common feeling of insecurity shared yet Cohn was more of the romantic of the novel.

Hemingway, Ernest “The Sun Also Rises” Pgs 11-61