The Reason behind It All (Motivation)

“‘Ashley, chap she got the title from, was a sailor, you know. Ninth baronet. When he came home he wouldn’t sleep in a bed. Always made Brett sleep on the floor. Finally, when he got really bad, he used to tell her he’d kill her. Always slept with a loaded service revolver. Brett used to take the shells out when he’d gone to sleep. She hasn’t had an absolutely happy life, Brett. Damned shame, too. She enjoys things so.’”

-The Sun Also Rises, p 207

In this passage, we finally learn Brett’s motivation. Before this paragraph, we had to just assume that Brett’s flirting and romantic escapades were simply a result of her flapper personality. Without a background story, we had to guess that Brett acted the way she did because of a 1920s culture that included new freedom for women. Upon reading this passage, though, we can see that this is not the case. Before her engagement to Mike, Brett was involved in an abusive marriage. Perhaps the abuse was not physical, but being told by one’s spouse that he is going to kill you definitely constitutes as abuse. I think Brett’s previous marriage has caused her to become emotionally and romantically unstable. Similarly to Cohn, she falls in love with any man who treats her with respect because she was not given any respect in her previous marriage.

Hemingway finally includes this explanation of Brett’s motivation not only as a commentary on abusive relationships, but also as a twist in our perception of Brett and—because we can now better see the similarity between her and Cohn—of Robert Cohn as well.

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.