What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Alcohol is literally a poison that makes the body unable to control itself, reaction times, cognitive functions and dexterity fall by the wayside if more alcohol is consumed. Jake uses alcohol socially to assert his masculinity due to his sexual impotence. “Western civilization has been primarily patriarchal and this has tended to exalt the masculine and devalue the feminine” (Murfin 197). Understanding male identity is the only thing that gives Jake purpose. When he is around Brett he doesn't use alcohol to numb his mind and body, but to support his masculine image. “Brett never ate much.[…] I ate a very large meal and drank three bottles of rioja alta” (Hemingway, 249). Drinking is his form of conquering the male image. Not everyone can drink three bottles of wine per meal; Jake's drinking habits are his expression of power and his masculine personality. He drinks not only to get drunk, but to succeed in his vision