Often dismissed as a writer of supremely masculine literature, Earnest Hemingway achieved a prominent position in the literary canon of the modernist era . As a master of provocative understatement, Hemingway developed his reputation by tackling issues of gender and sexuality with overarching themes of masculinity. Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises is a great example of these typical masculine nuances. The reviewer analyst has no difficulty locating readings that describe The Sun Also Rises, or any other of Hemingway's works, in this highly recognized and male-dominated variety. What is a rare investigation are the homosexual themes present in the novel. Hemingway's specific characterizations and subtle language, when interpreted correctly, reveal the irony of homosexuality suppressed in masculinity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The novel's protagonist and narrator, Jake Barnes, embodies the simplest and most obvious homosexual characterization. As a soldier in World War I, Jakes was involved in an "accident," as Hemingway describes it, that left him helpless. Jake's physical impotence renders him incapable of performing any sexual act. This becomes a metaphor for Jake's mental helplessness; homosexuality which would prohibit him from engaging in sexual acts with any woman. We see Jake express some frustration at his helplessness in the way individuals, particularly in the 1920s, found themselves excluded, or at least separated from the social norm. His impotence and his metaphorical homosexuality are qualities he keeps in ignorance. These are qualities he is ashamed of. Jake and Brett discuss war wounds with Count Mippipopolous proudly displaying the arrow wounds he received in Abyssinia: "And I have arrow wounds. Have you ever seen arrow wounds?" (Hemingway, 61) Jake's war wounds, although more brutal and impressive, remain an unknown and shameful part of Jake. Thus, the combat wounds that are often seen as a very masculine aspect of the novel become a representation of Jake's metaphorical and discreet homosexuality. Considering a topic such as homosexuality makes Brett's character fascinating to contemplate. Both Jake and Robert Cohn find themselves going to great lengths to win the love of this strange character. The most heterosexual action of these two men becomes the clearest example of their symbolic homosexuality. Arguably, Cohn and Jake fell in love with the most masculine character in the novel. To state the most glaring detail, Brett has a typically masculine first name. During one of their first meetings, Jake describes Brett as "damn beautiful", but goes on to describe her as having hair styled "like a boy's" and being "built with curves like the shell of a a racing yacht. ". (Hemingway, 22) Aside from Jake's manly description of Brett's fine qualities, we find that Brett behaves in a very masculine manner. She refers to herself and her male friends as " guys,” greeting them with a hearty “Hello, guys,” and presumptuously declaring, “I’m never going to be tense again. I say, give a guy a brandy and a soda." (Hemingway, 21-22) So, in addition to looking like a man and talking like a man, Brett also drinks like a man. About Brett, the Literary critic Leslie Fielder writes: "...she is presented not as an animalor like a nightmare but quite boldly like a goddess, the bitch-goddess with boy hair (Hemingway rather likes women who look as much boy as girl), the Lilith of the 20s." (Fielder, 89) Fielder further describes Brett's masculine personality, quoting a line from her: "He wanted me to let my hair grow. Me, with long hair. I would look so much like hell.... He said it would make me look more feminine. I would look scary. (Fielder, 89) In addition to being childish, Fielder introduces a new term for Brett's character. This "slut-goddess" idea is certainly one that could appeal to the homosexual inclination expressed in Cohn and Jake. The notion of a goddess of beauty, power, and masculinity is exactly the type of deity that Hemingway's homosexuals believed would be most appealing. Near the beginning of the novel, Jake finds himself at a dance where Brett arrives with a group of gay men. . As they enter, Jake notes "The policeman standing by the door looked at me and smiled." (Hemingway, 20) Here, Hemingway identifies the common sarcastic attitude towards the gay population and the discriminatory manner in which it is perceived. Jake's reaction to their dance provokes a number of possible interpretations. Jake reflects, "They always made me angry in some way. I know they're supposed to be fun and you should be tolerant, but I wanted to pick on one of them, to anyone, to anything to break this superior and mocking composure." (Hemingway, 20) It could obviously be simple jealousy causing these angry feelings. Jake feels threatened by their "superior, petty composure" and is motivated by the primal instinct to harm the cause of his frustration. It's not unreasonable to think that Jake would feel threatened by these men who still possess their power. However, it is not reasonable for us to imagine that Jake would feel jealous towards a group of gay men over the woman he is in love with. What is more likely is the recurrence of Jake's frustration with his own sexual impotence. Jake knows the situation these men find themselves in all too well. Like men, Jake possesses all the personality qualities that Brett looks for in a lover. However, with Jake, as with the group of men, Brett has no intention of ever consummating this love. As she would later say: "Yes. Right? [sober] And when you're with the crowd I'm with, it's safe to drink too." (Hemingway, 22) Jake's aggression towards homosexuals is simply reflected in his own state of dissatisfaction with himself. Here again, Hemingway's typical masculine aggression becomes another vestige of veiled homosexuality. The concept of the "slut-goddess" becomes a revisited idea with Cohn's ex-fiancée, Frances. When Cohn decides he cannot marry Frances (a woman with a slightly less masculine first name than Brett), she hurls a torrent of sarcastic insults at him, including his emotional nature, indicative of his metaphorical homosexuality: " Don’t make a scene with your younger self.” Ladies, try not to. Because you can't make a scene without crying, and then you complain so much that you don't remember what the other person said. (Hemingway, 50) Throughout his torment, Cohn remains fairly silent, letting the insults sink in, only interrupting once to tell him to "shut up." Cohn's emotional and submissive nature, combined with his violent past as a boxing champion, further supports the idea of ​​the virile homosexual. Hemingway goes beyond the idea of ​​the homosexual within masculinity and., 1954.