Love, sex, Money. 1. Setting as opportunity for new relations. 2. Attempts resulting in actions. 1. Multiple sexual partners

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1 1 Fay Hua Chen Professor L. Holman English 12 November 13, 2013 Love, sex, Money I. Introduction A. The Sun Also Rises B. Sexuality as a tool for building relations C. Thesis statement: love and explicit demonstration of feelings through sex and talks was gained via introduction of Brett who binds all other male characters around her. II. Human Relations A. The Sun Also Rises 1. Setting as opportunity for new relations 2. Attempts resulting in actions B. A woman of 1920 s 1. Multiple sexual partners 2. Psychology of sexual relations C. Brett and Jake 1. Obsession with the image of perfect love 2. Obsession with sex 3. Envy III. Romantic Relations

2 2 A. From Paris to Pamplona B. Pursuit of happiness C. Seeking satisfaction D. Equality in relationship IV. Conclusion A. Equality B. Sexuality C. Hope

3 3 Love, Sex, Money Ernest Hemingway wrote many fabulous stories with vivid characters and interesting storylines, while his play The Sun Also Rises seems to be one of the most valued by critics and readers. The variety of relationships and feelings described in the play serve to make the reader think about such values as love and social status. That period in the words history is associated with the postwar years in Europe and the entire world when people were dealing with the consequences of the World War I in different aspects of human life. Sexual relations and the open sexual behavior of the main female character Brett Ashley characterize the lost generation when women gained some freedoms and were likely to show their sexuality openly. However, love and explicit demonstration of feelings through sex and talks was gained via introduction of Brett who binds all other male characters around her. The essence of human relations can be understood though comparison of different models that may be found in human lives between people in various situations. When analyzing The Sun Also Rises, it comes to mind that a different setting has suggested different scenarios for social and sexual relations involving people that were open to any type of relations in Pamplona, whereas Paris makes all characters sober and returns everyone to the social position they belong. In this respect, Jake s obsession with Brett is rather obvious, but he fails to continue such bound into something more serious or at least sexually overt due to the injury from the war. Does it mean that our sexual relations are restricted either by our physical sexuality or its absence (when it comes to impotence and low libido), or by social norms, standards, and commitments?

4 4 The matter of place is rather obvious for The Sun Also Rises, when characters may only hope for the relations in Paris, whilst Pamplona gives them all chances to express themselves in any type of social behavior and romantic love, as well as obsession in case of Jake. On the one hand, Brett is a woman that demonstrates that she can have multiple sexual partners, because she is a modern woman with different values than those who cannot afford such an attitude. On the other hand, Brett may feel lonely, hence making her sexuality the only way of establishing a social contact with other members of society, but this mostly relates to men. Sigmund Freud would have suggested a vivid analysis for this young woman, whereas her sexuality remains the driving force for invoking sexual desires in male characters that seem to borrow some courage from their drinking and light-mindedness. Obsessive love suggests the images of Brett and Jake being in love with something, but not receiving what they want and for what they reach out. Robert G. Bringle and Robert J. Rydell analyze the phenomenon of obsessive love, emphasizing different stages of such feeling as well as models of romantic love with the obsessive love being a unique type of it. Obsessions can be related to any type of objects and people, while the main characteristic of it remains dominant cognitive pattern of recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images about being with another person in a romantic or sexual relationship (Bringle and Rydell 1174). In this respect, Brett has obsession for sex in the variety of forms it can obtain, while Jake has obsession for Brett, either due to not being able to have the same active sexual life as she live, or because he hopes that her overt sexuality would ever heal his soul.

5 5 Romance that occurs between Jake and Brett is a type of relations when representatives of different social layers disregard all norms. As stated by Bringle and Rydell, Obsessive love can occur during different phases of a romantic relationship (1174). In this case, it is possible to assume that Brett and Jake have this type of stage in their romantic relations that makes them both contented with what they have. None of them is happy and they try to imagine a kind of relationship where he would be able to satisfy her sexual taste and she would be satisfied with only one sexual and lifetime partner. This dissatisfaction brings them to desperate actions in the pursuit of their happiness. Being happy is an integral part of every person s life with the desire to find an individual that would share the same values and have the same life energy. Georgia Dullea analyzes the concepts of sex and money in the context of love and romantic relationships. As such, Dullea suggests an example of a couple that could easily spend money together without arguing about each other s contribution to their relations in terms of money. Does it mean that people involved into sexual relationship and any type of romantic relations should be equal in terms of their social status, income level, and other aspects? According to the opinion of mental health experts cited by Dullea, The way a couple handles money reveals a lot about emotional quality of a relationship. Therefore, Brett and Jake may seek someone of the same energy, values, and sexuality as themselves in their pursuit of perfect relations. Sexuality is only one factor that affects the quality of relations. When relations between a man and a woman are equal, this does not matter who of them earns more and who has more privileges in society. The thing is that people that seek perfect

6 6 relations may either try to forget about different concepts that build their life or focus on those, thus ruining any type of relations. Not being ready for sharing common values and reaching compromises may be the main reason for Brett to seek sexual revelation of her lack of confidence and lack of desire to change her life for someone else. Jake, in this aspect, is more likely to compromise his own feelings and needs in the pursuit of the desired relations. To conclude, equality in relations may be the key to successful relationship between a man and a woman during a long period of time. Sharing the same values and disregarding any norms and stereotypes established in society may be a tool to reaching that perfect balance. Brett and Jake can only hope for perfect romantic love and wait for someone to come and save them from the unfair and cruel world.

7 7 Works Cited Bringle, Robert G., and Robert J. Rydell. Obsessive Love. Encyclopedia of human relationships. Ed. Harry T. Reis and Susan Sprecher. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., Print. Dullea, Georgia. Relationships: Changing Values in Money and Love. The New York Times, January 11, Print. Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises Novels for Students, Vol. 5. New York, NY: Scribner, Print.