Jake is Insecure about His Masculinity Early in the Novel The Sun Also Rises

Jake does not mention his insecurities directly. We must search for information about them in his reactions and descriptions of others. Jake takes a condescending attitude towards Chon. His description cast Chon as a weak, inexperienced man. Jake’s contempt seems to arise partly from Cohn’s feminized status. He characterized Cohn as timid and easily controlled by a strong woman like Frances. This emphasis on Cohn’s lack of masculinity can be seen as a reflection of

Jake’s own insecurities about his manhood. Also, Jake resent the group of male friends with whom Brett dances at the club. His statements about them subtly imply that they are homosexuals. Brett can safely get drunk around them, for instance, because they have no interest in having sex with her. Jake realizes that he should be tolerant, but admits that he is, in fact, disgusted by them. His irrational disgust likely stems from his perception of them as unmanly, illustrating his worries about his own manliness. Thus Hemingway uses Jake’s contempt for Cohn’s feeble masculinity and his reaction of abhorrence towards Brett’s homosexual friends to reveal his anxiety about his own masculinity.