Analysis Of ' The Sun Also Rises '

“Oh, Jake, we could have had such a damned good time together.’ ‘Yes, Isn’t it pretty to think so?”. Their final discussion is right where they started in the back of a cab. Brett has just dug a hole even deeper into the abyss of disappointment that Brett has already given him. Jake has lost his masculinity in more ways than one. He has to live without Brett, and with his disability, denying him any chance at all with women. He has finally accepted the loveless relationship that has become of them, and will push forward knowing how it will never be.

          The most prevalent theme in this story is loneliness. Jake is obviously lonely, so much so that he stoops to such pathetic lines as, "I'm kinda hoping so, just so it takes a little more time and we can talk some. Or else you can give me your phone number now and I won't have to lay my regular b.s. on you to get it later." His loneliness also shows when Gilb describes how, "her hand felt so warm and soft he felt like he'd been kissed." Jake seems to crave the human intimacy of love, and yet all he does is flirt with a woman whom he does not even care for enough to be truthful to. This is also situational irony. Corresponding with this theme of loneliness is the concept that everyone is looking for love. This need is very evident in Jake and is also displayed in Mariana. No intelligent female would even relent a little in the face of such an apparent swindler as Jake. However, Mariana must be a little flattered and lonely because she smiles at his attentions and even makes small talk with him.

“Why? What’s the point?”. Jake has a wife and a daughter and he hasn't spoken with his kid in months. His daughter refers to him as “the man that used to live with us” and he doesn't like speaking with his

Jake is consciously aware that there is a problem, which is more than can be said about his friends. Perhaps the people that surround Jake are the issue, though. His close friends and the people whom he travels with include Lady Brett Ashley, Robert Cohn, Bill, and Mike. Brett, the target of Jake’s unrequited affections, is likely someone whom he should stop spending time with; however, it seems that he just can’t get away from her. She is a very strong and independent woman who isn’t known to behave in a traditionally feminine way. Jakes does remark that although she is very independent, “She can’t go anywhere alone.” Robert Cohn is a Jewish, wealthy expatriate; but unlike many of his friends, did not spend any time in the war. Cohn also falls head over heels in love with Brett, who soon rejects his affections as well. As a wealthy, Jewish, non war veteran Cohn stands out in the group and his fumbling attempts to court Brett are the source of much mockery and leads to many fights. Bill is also an American veteran who seems to be always drinking. He tends to use humor to try and deal with the emotional scars of war; however, is not immune to the immaturity and cruelty sometimes characterized by Jake and his friends. Finally, Mike is a very heavy drinking Scottish war veteran who is completely bankrupt. He is seen to have a terrible temper, which most often displays while he is drunk. Mike is also not comfortable with the

The value of monetary exchange extends to his relationships, particularly with Brett: “I had been getting something for nothing. That only delayed the presentation of the bill. The bill always came. That was one of the swell things you could count on” (Hemingway, 152). In this instance, Jake is referencing that his friendship with Brett, has given him the benefits of having as much of a romantic relationship as he can, which makes him feel he has cheated Brett of deserving payment. This explains why Jake supports Brett’s sexual promiscuity, as other men are capable of giving her what he cannot, sexually.

For instance, Brett does not kiss any of her lovers except for Jake, asking, “‘what's the matter, darling? Do you feel rocky?’ She kissed me coolly on the forehead. [Jake says,] ‘Oh, Brett, I love you so much’” (61). Because Brett kisses Jake’s forehead, it seems tender and almost motherly. Brett actually cares about Jake and his feelings. Unlike many of her other relationships, she doesn’t just use him for his body. And, Jake’s reply of love puts on display that even if the “cool” kiss doesn’t seem to romantic, the characters understand the intention and appreciate the adoration. Likewise, Brett and Jake are the only characters who consistently discuss real issues, rather than participate in drunken banter. At the end of the novel, Brett addresses alcoholism, saying, “‘don’t get drunk, Jake. You don't have to…don't…you'll be all right’” (250). In a novel, where drinking lives on almost every page, Brett finally acknowledges the struggle, the escape, and the belonging behind the habit. She isn’t afraid to discuss profound topics with Jake. Not only does she recognize alcoholism as a problem, but also she understands why Jake struggles with it. They have an unorthodox relationship, but it is the most genuine and deep connection of any character in the book, bonding them

He goes from thinking about Brett nearly all the time preceding the fiesta to only thinking about her when necessary. While swimming in San Sebastian, Jake observes a couple laughing in the water (239). Jake does not equate the couple’s relationship to his own, a giant leap from his compulsion we observed in previous chapters. When Brett experiences trouble and needs Jake’s assistance he responds. However, in the thoughts Jake expresses after responding to Brett’s letter, he finally understands Cohn’s reasoning for calling him a “damned pimp” (193). Jake realization that he fits the insult begins in the passage when he remarks, “Send a girl off with one man. Introduce her to another to go off with him. Now go and bring her back,” (243). This realization prompts Jake’s standoffishness in the car on the last page. When Brett tries to be idealistic he shrugs it off simply commenting, “Isn’t pretty to think so?” (250). The ruckus in Pamplona forces Jake to view Brett in the realm of realism and not in one of

However, Jake is not married, nor does he live with a woman in Paris. The characters of the

“That Evening Sun” by William Faulkner is a good example of a great emotional turmoil transferred directly to the readers through the words of a narrator who does not seem to grasp the severity of the turmoil. It is a story of an African American laundress who lives in the fear of her common-law husband Jesus who suspects her of carrying a white man's child in her womb and seems hell bent on killing her.

But although Brett may have set a role model for other women, she still had her flaws, one of them being that she was very promiscuous and had several affairs, leading men on to think that she cared for them, for so to ditch them for someone else. One very good example of this is her relationship with Jake. She cared deeply for Jake, but kept on hurting him, not necessarily intentionally, by her not wanting to be in a relationship with him due to his impotents. After Jake and Brett depart in Pamplona, Jake goes to San Sebastian, but quickly after his arrival, he receives a telegram from Brett who was in trouble, and needed Jakes help. The telegram said: “Can you come to hotel Montana Madrid, am rather in trouble, Brett” (Hemingway 209). The reason Brett is contacting Jake to help her is because she has decided to leave Romero, her 19 year old lover whom she left to Madrid wit. Brett knows how strongly Jake feels about her, and knows that he will always be there for her when she is in trouble, something that is proven when Jake says: “Well, that means San Sebastian all shot to hell. I suppose, vaguely, I had expected something of

Because of this injury, Jake cannot be with the woman he loves- and this plot line serves as a catalyst for the larger and far more important theme about the American Dream - and chasing everything desired, but never truly being able to achieve these dreams to satiation.

I think that Brett is the more dominant personality in their relationship since she comes from a wealthy background and doesn't have to get with anyone in order to live. In comparison, Frances is a dominant personality in terms of giving direction to an aimless Cohn, however he has the money and so she has to give in to his wishes. Money talks. I agree that Jake has a more pragmatic view of the world because of his war experience, compared to Cohn's romantic fantasy view. This is probably why they seem to be drawn to each other; opposites attract.

Jake is not a wealthy man; however, his ego gets the better of him. Time and again, he keeps a tight check of his bank account balance. But when Brett starts hanging out with Count Mippipopolous, Jake is not averse to offering up his money when they all go out together. Money takes a back seat to Jake's ego. Once, Brett sends the Count out for champagne so that she could be alone with Jake. Whereupon she talks to him about her fiancé, Michael and this shoots down Jake's already bruised ego to its lowest. However, For Jake, just to be with Brett is pure happiness. He is so blinded with love for her that he doesn't even flinch when she does

When Jane and Jake meet up to attend their son’s graduation, the two begin to have an affair. At the same time, she begins to fall in love with another man that she is seeing. Not knowing what she wants, Jane must decide whether she wants to rekindle her relationship with her ex or move on to the newer man in her life.

The high-minded ideas of their elders were not to be trusted; the only reality was truth and that was harsh. Life was futile and often meaningless. According to "President Harding's 'back to normalcy' policy, subject seemed to its members(the lost generation) to be hopelessly provincial, materialistic, and emotionally barren"(“Lost Generation” 487). This demonstrates why this generation was in search of its own values. "The moral hypocrisy of Prohibition that so irritated Hemingway's generation produced exactly the reaction that Hemingway documents in his novel"(Reynolds 62).