Often dismissed as a writer of extremely masculine literature, Earnest Hemingway earned a prominent position in the literary canon of the modernist era. As a master of provocative understatement, Hemingway developed his reputation by addressing issues of gender and sexuality with prevailing themes of masculinity. Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises is a great example of these typical masculine nuances. The analytical examiner has no difficulty identifying readings that describe The Sun Also Rises, or any other of Hemingway's works, in this widely recognized, male-dominated variety. What is an unusual investigation are the homosexual themes contained in the novel. Hemingway's specific characterizations and subtle language, when interpreted correctly, reveal the irony of repressed homosexuality in masculinity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an 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 leaves him incapable of performing any sexual act. This becomes a metaphor for Jake's mental helplessness; homosexuality which would prohibit him from having sexual relations with any woman. We see Jake express some frustration with his helplessness in the way individuals, especially in the 1920s, found themselves marginalized, or at least separated from the social norm. His impotence and metaphorical homosexuality are qualities he keeps in the dark. 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 a shameful and undiscovered part of Jake. Therefore, the battle wounds which are often considered a very masculine aspect of the novel become a representation of Jake's metaphorical and discreet homosexuality. Considering a topic like homosexuality makes Brett's character fascinating to contemplate. Both Jake and Robert Cohn find themselves putting great effort into winning the love of this strange character. The more heterosexual action of both of these men becomes the clearest example of their symbolic homosexuality. It is arguable that Cohn and Jake fell in love with the most masculine character in the novel. To put it in the most striking detail, Brett has a typically male name. During one of the first meetings we see of them, Jake describes Brett as "damn beautiful," but goes on to describe her as having hair styled "like a boy's" and "built with curves like the hull of a racing yacht." ." (Hemingway, 22) Aside from Jake's manly description of Brett's handsome qualities, we find that Brett behaves in a very masculine manner. She refers to herself and her male friends as "boys." Greeting them with a friendly “Hi you guys,” and presumptuously declaring, “I'll never hold you again. I say, give a boy a brandy and soda." (Hemingway, 21-22) So, in addition to looking like a man and talking like a man, Brett also drinks like a man. Of Brett, literary critic Leslie Fielder writes: " ...she is presented not as an animal or as a nightmare but rather boldly as a goddess, the whore-goddess with a boy's bob (Hemingway is quite fond of women who look as much boy as girl), the Lilith of the '20." (Fielder, 89) Fielder describesBrett's masculine personality further, quoting him: "He wanted me to grow my hair. Me, long hair. I looked so much like Hell... He said it would make me look more feminine. I would look scary." (Fielder, 89) In addition to being a boy, Fielder introduces a new term for Brett's character. This idea of ​​the "whore-goddess" is certainly one that would appeal to the homosexual inclination expressed in Cohn and Jake. The idea of ​​a goddess of beauty, power, and masculinity is exactly the kind of deity that would be most appealing to Hemingway's homosexuals. 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 cop 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 way in which they are viewed. Jake's reaction to their dancing provokes a number of possible interpretations. Jake reflects: "Somehow they always made me angry. I know they're supposed to be fun, and you're supposed to be tolerant, but I wanted to hit someone, anyone, anything to shatter that superior, simpering composure." (Hemingway, 20) It could, of course, be simple jealousy that causes these angry feelings. Jake feels threatened by their "superior and affected composure" and is motivated by the primal instinct to harm the cause of his frustration. It's not unreasonable to think that Jake feels threatened by these men who still have their power. However, it is not reasonable for us to imagine that Jake would feel jealous towards a group of gay men about the woman he is in love with. What is more likely is a repetition of Jake's frustration with his own sexual impotence. Jake knows all too well the situation these men have found themselves in. Like men, Jake has all the personality qualities Brett looks for in a lover. However, with Jake, as with the group of men, Brett has no intention of consummating that love. As she said later, "Yeah, right? [sober] And when you're with the crowd I'm with, you can also drink so confidently." (Hemingway, 22) Jake's aggression towards homosexuals simply reflects on his state of dissatisfaction with himself. Thus, once again, Hemingway's typical male aggression becomes another trace of veiled homosexuality. The "whore-goddess" concept becomes a revisited idea with Cohn's ex-girlfriend Frances. When Cohn decides that he cannot marry Frances (a woman with a slightly less masculine name than Brett), she unleashes a torrent of sarcastic insults that include his emotional nature, significant of his metaphorical homosexuality: "Don't make a scene with your young ladies. Try not to do that. Because you can't do scenes without crying, and then you pity yourself so much that you can't remember what the other person said." (Hemingway, 50) Throughout her torment Cohn remains fairly silent, letting the insults sink in, only interrupting her once to tell her 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 presents the plausibility of a paradise free from women. This idea will become more significant later. The Spanish bullfighter Pedro Romero becomes an instrument of Hemingway's description of sex. The last moments of his bullfight are to be considered the culminating moments of the relationship. Backman writes: ...as their swords penetrate to the hilt, the men reach out, 1954.