A New Woman: Feminism in the Fiction of James and Hemingway

The idea of the “New Woman” in American Literature is at the forefront of Henry James’ novella, Daisy Miller: A Study and Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises.  Both authors make a strong statement about the way in which the female gender is scrutinized for being independent.  Daisy and Brett, the main female characters from the works, respectively, portray self-sufficient women who are unchanged by the way in which society views them, clearing a new path for female readers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  However, James and Hemingway present this idea in very different lights.  James’ piece seems to condemn the new woman’s independence and morals, while Hemingway’s piece admires the strength in the new woman necessary to make these changes to what is considered acceptable.

In James’ Daisy Miller: A Study, the female protagonist, Daisy, is portrayed as a woman of lax morals and “charming” personality.  It is clear to the reader that she is not satisfied with the role that she is supposed to play as a young woman.  This “little uncultivated American girl” is considered to be an “American flirt” (James 430, 443).  Daisy’s character is interpreted as a cultural icon, quite different from the stereotypical Victorian woman of the late nineteenth-century.  Daisy is intelligent and self-sufficient, pursuing pastimes that make her happy, despite their negative influence on her reputation as a young woman.  She is “regarded by her compatriots as abnormal” because of these aforementioned traits (454).  James states that “[Daisy] carried about…a defiant, passionate, perfectly observant consciousness of the impression she produced,” suggesting that this new woman was familiar with the reproachful attitudes toward her morals and character (454).  James’ diction also insinuates that Daisy is not all that bothered by these censorious views of her character.  Daisy, being an independent woman, is only focused on the actions that make her happy.  In doing so, James makes it clear for the reader that Daisy does not agree with the traditional lifestyle women are expected to live.  For example, when Daisy lies about her engagement to the Italian she appears nonchalant about the traditional idea of marriage for a young woman.  As an early representation of the new woman, James’ novella ultimately criticizes Daisy’s moral character and acts as a warning to his readers.  James utilizes the narrator to portray this message for the reader by stating, “her being there under these circumstances was known to every[one]…and commented on accordingly” (458).  James’ story insinuates that this idea of the new woman is ultimately improper.

In Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, the main female character, Brett, shares many characteristics with James’ character Daisy Miller.  Like Daisy, Brett spends time doing the activities that make her happy, like drinking with men and travelling with male companions.  Contrastingly, Brett is idolized for her ways and depicted by Hemingway in a much gentler light than Daisy is represented by James.  Men senselessly follow Brett around and do not necessarily condemn her actions, but each take turns in participating in them.  In general, Hemingway’s novel embraces this idea of the “New Woman,” a character that is allowed to be independent and socially acceptable and idolized by male characters.  When the reader first meets Brett, Hemingway depicts her as “damned good-looking…[with] hair that was brushed back likes a boy’s.  She started all that” (Hemingway 22).  Hemingway goes on to describe Brett as “perfectly charming” (46).  Brett is idolized and admired for her innovative, confident attitude and dominant societal role.  Hemingway portrays Brett as having hair that is kept like a man’s, a rather masculine name, and as always in the company of men, suggesting that she fits in rather than stands out.  James’ character, Daisy, is singled out, gossiped about, and disrespected for being an independent woman.  Hemingway has created a character that strives to be her own person and break away from the traditional idea of marriage and family.  Hemingway’s use of dialogue between a minor female character, Frances, and Jake presents an unconventional way of thinking for women of the early twentieth century: ‘“I never liked children much…I always thought I would have them and then like them”’ (47).  Readers of the time would have been quite taken aback by a woman who was not living only to get married and have children.  A woman that considered herself worth something while single reinforces this idea of the new woman.  It is important to consider the way in which the minor characters in The Sun Also Rises are not described as possessing the same critical view of Brett that is present in Daisy Miller: A Study.

Simply by looking at the diction used by James and Hemingway, the reader can interpret the opposing viewpoints of this idea of the new woman.  James uses words such as “uncultivated” and “abnormal,” while Hemingway utilizes phrases such as “good-looking” and “perfectly charming.”  Both pieces of literature effectively expose an innovative, autonomous and clever woman, although with very different reactions from the fictional society she is surrounded by.  By observing both James’ and Hemingway’s use of dialogue and diction, the reader can attain a sense of the new woman.  However, although only written a few decades later, the new woman of the 1920s in The Sun Also Rises was much more socially acceptable than that of the late nineteenth century woman depicted in Daisy Miller: A Study.  In light of James’ earlier critique of the new woman, Hemingway effectively presents and embraces a new, independent female force.  This is an extraordinary change of societal views in just a few short decades.

This idea of the “New Woman” in American Literature is at the forefront of Henry James’ novella, Daisy Miller: A Study and Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises.  Both authors make a strong statements about the way in which the female gender is scrutinized for being independent in her own actions.  Each work clears a new path for female readers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  However, James and Hemingway present this idea in opposing lights, by condemning and embracing respectively.

Works Cited

     Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises. N.p.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1926. Print.

James, Henry. “Daisy Miller: A Study.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. C. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2012. N. pag. Print.