The Characterization of Brett in The Sun Also Rises
If taken at face value, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, seems simply to be a depressing story about a group of lost individuals, plagued with drunkenness who, as a result, float through life with little meaning at all; however, this naïve perception fails to account for the deeper meaning and thematic development that lies within the text. For many of the novel's characters, this drunken, partying conduct is part of their response to the negative effects of World War I. Brett is a key example of a character that has been traumatized by the war, and the seriousness of her mental aftermath is displayed through her unfavorable behavior. When dealing with men, she remains selfish, manipulative, and promiscuous until she encounters Pedro Romero. Her infatuation with him and her adoration of his aficion prevents her from treating him like she does the other men.
Ernest Hemingway in Milan, 1918
Drunkenness of Noah
Ernest Hemingway, Paris, circa 1924.Brett's issues are apparent when she is first presented in the novel. "A crowd of young men...got out [of the taxi]. As they went in...I saw...grimacing, gesturing, talking. With them was Brett. She looked very lovely and she was very much with them" (28). We see Brett's grace and beauty while she parades in as center of attention. Jake comments that she "was damned good-looking" (29). Every man is attracted to Brett, and she appears to thrive on that. Rendezvous after rendezvous with multiple men would perhaps deem satisfying to a woman who continues in this manner, but Brett confesses her struggle with aimlessness to Jake saying, "Oh, darling, I've been so miserable" (32).
Brett is a smashed up person. She experiences great emotional distress after losing her first love in the war and dealing with her husband's insanity after his return from war.