Public Persona vs. Private Identity in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises

This paper investigates how gender and sexuality are socially constructed, and therefore how these two facets of individual identity largely rely on the perception of others. Examining Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises through a queer studies lens provides insight into how three main characters (Jake, Brett, and Romero) embody a variety of gender expressions and sexualities. Since the time period of the novel was one of more rigid social standards, the lack of acceptance for seeing gender and sexuality on a spectrum, rather than in binary terms, led to the characters altering their personas to fit into socially accepted roles. However, in private settings, they uphold an identity that is truer to their sense of self. The protagonist, Jake Barnes, has surface-level relationships to conceal both his deeply rooted insecurities about being emasculated from a war injury and his repressed homosexual desires. Brett emphasizes her public masculine performance and promiscuous sexual activity while uncovering a private emotional side. Romero embodies traditional masculine gender norms, yet he proves to be very insecure in his masculinity as he attempts to feminize Brett. Ultimately, the characters choose to display the gender traits and sexual behaviors they believe will give them more social power. The movement to dismantle traditional gender roles and social norms of sexuality was just beginning to emerge during the 1920s. In the novel, these deeply rooted social norms cause inner conflict between the characters’ public persona and private identity that is kept hidden