''Man is not made for defeat'': Hegemonic Masculinity, Manhood, and Emasculation in Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises and The Old Man and the Sea

Abstract

Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises (1926) and The Old Man and the Sea (1952) are narratives of masculinity that depict the struggles of the emasculated protagonists Jake Barnes and Santiago. To aid the exploration of how Jake and Santiago navigate the effects and consequences of their emasculation, the present thesis utilizes the theory of Hegemonic Masculinity and the concepts of Manhood, Homosociality, Impotence and Aging as Emasculation, and Gender Performativity. The prism of Hegemonic Masculinity helps illustrate how the non-hegemonic protagonists measure themselves up against hegemonic representations and idealize hegemonic performances of masculinity. Moreover, the conceptualization of Manhood and a focus on impotence and aging as emasculation helps illustrate how both protagonists attempt to redeem their manhood through physical and imaginative performances of masculinity. A key contrast emerges between the narratives in Jake Barnes' futile plight compared to Santiago's affordances of gratification in his attempts at redemption. However, both works are ultimately interrelated narratives that thematize the intricacies of emasculated men navigating the complex landscape of men and masculinities in the search of ideal manhood.