The Sun Also Rises
...and Mike are severely damaged by war after World
War I, and are relentlessly fighting for one woman's affection. They were damaged
physically, emotionally, and spiritually. These men are, for the most part and unlike
Romero, incredibly dysfunctional, unsure of where they are going and what
their lives will bring. The three primary men demonstrating such dysfunctional
qualities are Jake, Robert, and Mike. A commonality among these men is all
are involved, at one point or another, with Brett, a woman who shares their charact-
eristics and is ultimately as dysfunctional as the men. These men are all drawn to
her and need Brett, but they find no hope or comfort in their relationship with her
because she is just as lost as they are.
Brett continues to be a destructive force, and it most definitely
should be noted that other relationships in which she engaged did
not prove destructive to the men. Two so called pawns Bill and the Count
were not damaged primarily because they possessed confidence in themselves and
in their lives. They were not obsessed with Brett and did not think that she
could be the answer to their problems. Brett had little affect upon these
men who were in control of their lives and emotionally healthy. However, she did
have control over Jake, Robert, and Mike because they were lost, part of that lost
generation that Hemingway often wrote about. And Brett, being as lost as the
men, truly fell into the destructive relationships, thrived on them, and even
unconsciously looked for them.
Brett is clearly one of those type of women who seems to seek out men who
need her. She thrives on that need and then quickly dismisses them for one reason or
another. She feels wanted and needed by these men, but never finds happiness
with them because of the fact that they need her. However, this is what fuels...
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