How Is Lady Brett Ashley A Feminist

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In the novel The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway writes about a woman who lives the lavish lifestyle of the 1920’s. Her opulent lifestyle isn’t particularly the same as other women’s lifestyle in this era. She is a different kind of woman and she makes that very apparent throughout the novel. Throughout the book Hemingway shows us that Brett’s actions, style, and interactions with the other characters prove that she is not average. Although she is not the main character, author Ian Crouch explains in the article “Hemingway’s Hidden Metafictions,” “It is diverting to consider how the novel would have been different if Brett were indeed the main character and the heroine—if it really were a story about a lady, rather than about the various men who loved her, or couldn’t.” …show more content…

The character of Brett akes independence, self-confidence, and rebellion to a new level. She dresses like a boy, with her slicked back hair and sweater jerseys. She also likes to be called boy nicknames such as chap. These things show that women of this era don’t have to be so uptight and feminine. Lady Brett expresses independence by being uninvolved with a certain man for a long period of time. The character shows that she does not need to rely on a man which is what many of the ladies in that era had a habit of doing. When a man tried to tell her how to look, she made him leave. Brett refused to grow her hair out to seem more feminine just to please a man. Most women of that era would do anything to please their man so they would not end up alone. While Brett seems carefree and totally independent, she is still uncomfortable with herself, like all women are. She still struggles with herself like most women do. All in all, Hemingway uses the character of Lady Brett Ashley as an exemplary example of how the New Women of the Lost Generation acted and presented

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