How did the idea of masculinity change after World War I, as you find in “The Sun Also Rises?”

Answer

How did the idea of masculinity change after World War I, as you find in “The Sun Also Rises?” [NU: 2018]

Ernest Hemingway’s (1899-1961) novel “The Sun Also Rises” (1926) shows how World War I changed men and their ideas about masculinity. Before the war, men were often linked with courage, honor, and strength. But the war destroyed these old ideas. The characters in the novel feel broken and uncertain about what it means to be a man. Hemingway presents a new kind of masculinity that is fragile, wounded, and searching for meaning.

Jake Barnes and the Wound of War: Jake Barnes, the protagonist of the novel, fought in World War I. He suffered a terrible injury during the war that made him impotent (unable to have sex). This physical wound becomes a symbol of his broken masculinity. He cannot have a complete relationship with Lady Brett Ashley, the woman he loves. Jake asks her:

“Couldn’t we live together, Brett? Couldn’t we just live together?”

But Brett rejects him because she knows she would go to other men, and this would only hurt him. Jake represents the men of the “lost generation” whose strength and pride were damaged by the war.

Loss of Traditional Masculine Ideals: Before the war, masculinity was often connected with bravery, honor in battle, and physical strength. But these ideas of masculinity became meaningless after the horror of World War I. Heavy machine guns, chemical weapons, and trench warfare left a permanent scar on the sense of masculinity. Men like Jake and his friends do not talk about bravery or patriotism. Instead, they live restless lives. They drink, travel, and try to forget the past. Jake himself admits:

“Under the wine I lost the disgusted feeling and was happy.”

This shows how men now escape their pain with alcohol, rather than living by old heroic values

Robert Cohn and the Old Romantic Masculinity: Robert Cohn is different because he did not fight