Brett Is a Boy's Name (Indirect Characterization)

“Brett was damned good-looking. She wore a slipover jersey sweater and a tweed skirt, and her hair was brushed back like a boy’s. She started all that. She was built with curves like the hull of a racing yacht, and you missed none of it with that wool jersey….Dancing, I looked over Brett’s shoulder and saw Cohn, standing at the bar, still watching her. ‘You’ve made a new one there,’ I said to her.

‘Don’t talk about it. Poor chap. I never knew it till just now.’

‘Oh, well,’ I said. ‘I suppose you like to add them up.’

‘Don’t talk like a fool.’

‘You do.’

‘Oh, well. What if I do?’”

-The Sun Also Rises, p 29-30

This passage provides a pretty clear characterization of Lady Brett Ashley as what was commonly referred to as a “flapper” (thank you, Mrs. Helbing). Although Hemingway does not actually state that Brett is a flapper, it is evident that Brett fits the stereotypical mold. She wears her hair in a boyish style. Her clothes are much less modest than what was considered acceptable at the time. In addition, Hemingway reveals one of Brett’s chief traits: she flirts. A lot. By the tone of the dialogue between Jake and Brett, it seems likely that Brett has left a trail of broken hearts—or at least wounded prides—in her wake. Unfortunately, it appears that Cohn has entangled himself within her web. Considering what we know thus far of Cohn’s emotional instability, that can only spell trouble.