What a Man Should Be: Hegemonic Masculinity in The Sun Also Rises (1927)

This thesis will explore Ernest Hemingway’s depiction of the crisis of masculinity in The Sun
Also Rises (1927) with a focus on how the novel portrays the change in gender norms
following World War I. For the main body of the thesis, I will use R.W. Connell’s theory of
hegemonic masculinity and expand slightly in my discussion section with Judith Butler’s
theory of gender performativity. I will showcase the characters, Jake Barnes, Pedro Romero,
and Robert Cohn as different types of masculinity that will contrast on Brett Ashley, the
catalyst for each character. This analysis intends to reveal how the characters embody, contest,
subordinate, or fail to meet the hegemonic masculine ideal. Finally, I will argue that the novel
neither affirms nor rejects traditional masculinity and instead that it is a eroding concept that
is dependent on performance and ultimately not sustainable.