The Sun Also Rises Feminist Analysis

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Masculine Expectations and Their Adverse Effects as Shown in Literature The feminist movement seems to have taken America by storm—women’s rights activists are fighting for female equality, actresses are demanding the same paycheck as their male counterparts, and the fashion industry is being attacked for idolizing certain body types and overly sexualizing the female figure. Being a feminist has become trendy, and women’s roles in society, as well as their portrayal in films, literature, and the media are all anyone seems to want to discuss in recent years. While it is true that women did and still continue to get the short end of the stick in most situations, it is still important to discuss how men have also received unfair treatment and had unrealistic expectations thrust upon them. Ever since organized civilization came about (and maybe even before), men have been expected to embody a tough protector/provider persona, probably stemming from the natural occurrence of them being …show more content…
This paper examines the psychological attributes of the masculine gender role in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and Cormac McCarthy’s All The Pretty Horses through their use of stereotypically “manly” characters, their …show more content…
Jake, the protagonist, along with his group of male expatriate friends, struggle to live with and overcome their insecurities regarding their masculinity after fighting in World War I. This war, which had extremely negative effects on American soldiers, citizens, and society, showed the introduction of “shell shock syndrome” and post traumatic stress disorder (Alexander, Smithsonian Magazine). Once it was over, the ravages of war destroyed many soldiers’ sense of masculinity, as shown literally by Jake’s injury as well as the rest of the men’s