Degraded Sexuality in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises
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Faculty of English
Abstract
This study is an attempt to explore sex as a powerful and destructive force. It
uses the trend of Lost Generation. Lost Generation writers revealed the sordid nature
of the shallow, frivolous lives. The characters spend their time socializing, drinking,
dancing, and involving in an erotic nature. In Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun
Also Rises, sexual jealousy leads one of the characters like Robert to violate his code
of ethics and attack Jake, Mike, and Pedro. The desire for sex prevents Brett from
entering into a relationship with Jake though she loves him. Here, sex undermines
both Robert’s honor, and Jake and Brett’s love. Brett is closely associated with the
negative consequences of sex. She is a liberated woman, having sex with multiple
men and feeling no compulsion to commit to any of them. Her carefree sexuality
makes Jake and Mike miserable and drives Robert to acts of violence. She is a symbol
of infantile sexuality, resistance, and transference about a strong, sexually
independent woman.