Is Brett a Positive Character?

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, Jake, Cohn, and Romero. All of them follow her around desperately just to be rejected by her at some point or another. Additionally, her super-confident fake personality strengthens her image and isn't typical of the women of her time.

However, the closing scene of the novel presents a more vulnerable, dependent side of Brett. After all the men leave, she is completely helpless, and requires Jake to come and save her. During this section she drops her façade, and we see her as desperate, unsure, and feeling guilty, a stark contrast to how she acts within the rest of the novel: "I could feel her crying. Shaking and crying". She then says "Don't let's ever talk about it. Please don't let's ever talk about it". Here, she has none of the control or confidence she had in the prior scenes of the novel, even compared with the private scenes with Jake.
 
While Brett's independence is certainly a positive aspect of her, it extends to manipulation in her case. This is primarily shown through her manipulation of Jake. Whenever she is in trouble, she simply tells him and he instantly comes to the rescue. Brett is also somewhat manipulative of Mike. Even though she is to be engaged to him, she abandons him at the festival for Romero, a rodeo boy that she had only known for a day.

Given this confusing mix of positive and negative traits, do you think Brett is a positive character?

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 2, 2017 at 7:50 PM

    I'm unclear on what you mean by positive- do you mean morally respectable, in terms of character? I think most readers would say Brett is negative; she completely curves every single guy she's laid her eyes on and causes them emotional stress, and let's not even talk about what happened throughout the novel in her one-sided relationship with Jake.

    That being said, I think there's some credence in the interpretation that Brett is an alright person: I'd argue that she's respectable and justified in her promiscuous romance. I see Brett as a bullfighter: she dominates the bulls around her (which represent different men) in an act of aficion and nonchalance. Going back to the "Jake is a sub-human puppy" metaphor, I think viewing the men as bulls and Brett as this dominant, commandeering figure is interesting. She can't help herself; it's all passion and games for her, and I have no clue what I'm trying to say with this metaphor. The point is, I think Brett can be viewed as respectable and even admirable: imagine controlling four raging bulls and playing them off of each other with grace and poise, ultimately killing them all (ending the relationship) in an act of passion and ceremoniousness.

    okay that metaphor went nowhere

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  2. VicenteOctober 2, 2017 at 9:28 PM

    Random, but I think it's germane that Jacob remarks specifically that Brett pioneered her own style. We understand, then, that Brett is not a person caught up by the cultural shifts of her time, but rather a bold persona and active creator of her own image.

    I think Brett is likeable enough. Her selfishness and unbridled pursuit of sudden passions are something I can live with, and recognize in previous friends of mine.

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