"To Hell with Women Anyway": Flirtatiousness and Male Entitlement in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises

Abstract:Lady Brett Ashley in The Sun Also Rises has been heavily criticized for her treatment of the male characters in the novel. Her changeable affections and reluctance to commit to stable relationships have frequently been discussed in terms of the harm her behavior inflicts on men, however little has been done to explore what it reveals about Brett herself. This article moves focus away from the wounded male egos to the social factors which underlie Brett's flirtatious behavior, unpacking the trauma which informs her desire to avoid committed romantic relationships and questioning whether the male characters' disappointed desires are always reasonable ones.