Will's Thoughts

In The Sun Also Rises, Brett is presented as an image of "The New Woman". From the very first description, it is quite apparent that she is nothing like the conventional Victorian-age lady. This is partly presented through her appearance, as she has a unique, somewhat boyish style: "She wore a slipover jersey and a tweed skirt, and her hair was brushed back like a boy's. She started all that". This style suggests that she is an independent person not bound by the gender roles of the time. The line "She started all that" makes this even more apparent. Another difference between the Victorian-age woman and Brett is how Brett handles relationships. She didn't settle down with some proper English gentleman but instead hops from relationship to relationship when she wants, even though she is thity-four. Because of this, she is in control of every relationship, as well as the many men who follow her around desperately. She has clear power over Mike, Jak...

The Sun Also Rises places a large emphasis on post-war culture. At the start of the novel, it causes quite a bit of confusion as it is so difficult to tell who is with who- Jake hires a prostitute, introduces her as his fiance, then meets his on-and-off girlfriend at the same place. There are many other things that may seem strange to us in the present. Brett has married and divorced two times, and its also hinted that she would cheat on Jake to fulfill her sexual needs if they ever got into a relationship. Cohn is in a situation that is somehow more complicated- he is engaged to a girl who divorced another man to marry him, but now doesn't want to marry that girl after she went through all that trouble. Furthermore, there is another complicated situation with Brett, Jake, and Cohn. Cohn instantly falls in love with Brett the instant he sees her (despite the fact that he is engaged), and when he asks Jake about her, Jake gets extremely defensive even though he knows he will never ...

While Richard Dalloway is the husband of the main character, we don't even meet him until about one hundred pages into the novel. Because of this, most of what we know about Richard is from the other characters describing him. From the outside, Richard is a very simple person, a generic version of the of a suitable man to marry for the time. He has a stable job in parliament, is a great example of the English gentleman, firm belief in tradition, etc. His character oozes simplicity. When he is talked about, he is most often noted for his job in parliament above all else, as opposed to other characters. When Peter or Septimus are talked about, their personalities define them more than their roles. However, this changes when we are able to see from Richard's point of view. We get to see small, unique aspects of him that weren't covered when he was talked about- his goals, such as writing about Lady Bruton's family, or his opinion of Hugh in the shopping scene. "For ...