Character Analysis Of Lady Brett Ashley In 'The Sun Also Rises'

Character Analysis: In his novel The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway tells the story of a group of friends who have each been affected by war and man’s cruelty. He focuses most on the misery and change which war has brought upon each of the characters. The novel is narrated by protagonist Jake Barnes but his attention seems to be centered around Lady Brett Ashley. Brett is a woman ahead of her time. She is a modernist, unapologetically sexual and aggressively licentious. By the end of the novel, Lady Ashley learns what the true meaning of love is and with this her morals are strengthened. Lady Brett Ashley is described as a “damned good-looking” woman throughout the novel. Her beauty and personality attract many men but she always seems

Although she did not engage in combat, Brett served as a nurse and was exposed to the many horrors of war. Brett did not lead a very happy life when away from Jake. Mike Campbell describes that when married to Lord Ashley, Brett was always in fear for her life. He claims, “...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 (207). Brett has not had an easy adult life, traumatized by her ex husband and always jumping around from one man to another, she has never been able to have a life she was satisfied with. Brett’s misfortunes have made her into the unstable, alcoholic woman presented by Hemingway. While she has been hurt by many, her self-abuse is much more impactful. Evidence of self-destructive behavior is seen throughout the book, in her alcoholism and nymphomaniac propensity. After the affair with Romero, when Jake picks her up from Madrid, they go for a drink and Brett states, “No matter how vulgar a hotel is, the bar is always nice” (248). Brett, like Jake, drowns her sorrows in alcohol. She spends a lot of her time at bars and implies that it is the only place she can get satisfaction from. Lady Brett Ashley is filled with pain. Her low self-esteem has caused her to spiral in a lifestyle where she continuously punishes herself.