Review 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.

Often times, violence is prevalent in literature. It is captivating, it enhances the plot, and it creates feelings of suspense and tension within the reader. However, in well-crafted works of literature, scenes of violence serve an even greater purpose. Violence is frequently used in order to contribute to the meaning of the complete work, and Ernest Hemingway utilizes violence in order to highlight the meaning in The Sun Also Rises. In the novel, Robert Cohn verbally attacks protagonist Jake Barnes and his friend Mike Campbell after questions arise pertaining to the whereabouts of widely-coveted Lady Brett Ashley. Jake then strikes Cohn, and a fistfight between the three men ensues. Hemingway utilizes the violence between the men in order

By pushing men away, Brett is really displaying codependent behavior. She acts like she does not need the men to fulfill her emotions, but without men competing for her, her life is empty. Not only does she lean on Jake for emotional fulfillment, but she counts on men obsessing over her. She acts as if she would be alright if no men exclaimed their love for her, but she in fact thrives on it. Her fuel to live is turning men down, and she depends on that behavior to get by in her already empty life.

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.

Hemingway uses the theme through Brett and Jake, these two characters show love between each other but know they can never find love with eachother. Jakes impotency affects his love with Brett and has a negative impact on him. Brett cannot love Jake as her mentality is that she needs sex to love, while she is also unapologietic. This takes a huge toll on Jake as although he does not show that he is hurt, it does hurt him inside. "You’re getting damned romantic." "No, bored." (3.35). This quote early on shows that a relationship between Brett and Jake is not possible. They cannot find love because they cannot have sex, even when they try to show a little romance with eachother, the other just shuts them down. "Couldn’t we live together, Brett? Couldn’t we just live together?" "I don’t think so. I’d just tromper you with everybody. You couldn’t stand it." (7. 7). This example shows of how they turn eachother down of a relationship. Jake tries to solve the no sex problem with

The clearest example is the impotency of the main character Jake Barnes. Jake explains to Georgette how he was hurt during the war in order to prevent her from becoming infatuated with him (Hemingway 22). The battle wound rendered Jake impotent, so he cannot be with his love, Brett Ashley. Throughout the novel, Jake witnesses Brett’s affairs with other men; his insecurity is enhanced. Robert Cohn, Jake’s Jewish friend, is a former boxer who did not experience World War I firsthand like the rest of Jake’s friends. Hemingway explains why Robert boxes: "He cared nothing for boxing, in fact he disliked it, but he learned it painfully and thoroughly to counteract the feeling of inferiority and shyness he had felt on being treated as a Jew at Princeton" (11). Robert practices boxing as a way to counteract his insecurity; he thinks he will gain respect and intimidate others. Instead, Robert is always found to be the center of jokes and criticism from his peer group; he nonchalantly brushes it off but is concerned about his identity.

This shows the independence and freedom women were starting to get back then. Brett is both masculine and feminine in the story but mostly shows more of here masculine side throughout. The war was a major reason why women resulted in having to fulfill the masculine role, because men would be affected by the war emotionally or physically. Hemingway uses Jake as a example of loss, by taking away his ability to have sex.Ever since this loss forced Jake to change his view on masculinity. Jakes is wanted by many women but cant have physical relations with him due to his injury. Hemingway provides us with a description that shows Jakes problem with his masculinity. In chapter 3, Hemingway writes,“looked up to be kissed. She touched me with one hand and I put her hand away. "Never mind." "What’s the matter? You sick?" "Everybody’s sick. I’m sick too."(Hemingway 23).This quotes shows Jake incapability for sexual actions as that the main reason why him and Brett can't and didn't end up together.

Perhaps this is why she takes solace in her relationship with Jake. She knows that because of his impotence, their relationship lacks any meaningful future, and she can seek comfort in him knowing that he is unable to control their relationship in that way. He is unable to exert that sort of sexual dominance over her. That is why it makes the last lines from the novel particularly meaningful: “‘Oh, Jake,’ Brett said, ‘we could have had such a damned good time together.” To which Jake responds, “‘Yes,’…‘Isn’t it pretty to think so?’” (Hemingway 251). This quote presents their obvious contrasting illusions of what their relationship could be. Brett seems confident they would have ended up together if not for his wound, but Jake sees what she does not. Over time, with the opportunity to observe Brett’s

In the novel it is never explicitly said that Jake Barnes is really impotent because of his war

In Earnest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, we gain a glimpse into the development of Jacob Barnes, an injured veteran of the First World War. This veteran does not seem to have lost any of his perseverance despite his laughable injury to his penis though, as a love-inspired Jake pursues a deeper relationship Brett throughout his time in Paris and Spain. Nonetheless, Jake never gains the relationship with Brett for which he searches, solely due to his injury. Although some may perceive the final lines of this exemplary novel, “Isn’t it pretty to think so?”, as an allusion to Jake’s inability to give up on his pursuit of Brett as a lover and sexual partner, he has rather finally recognized that Brett is unobtainable to

The pivotal character of Ernest Hemingway's novel, The Sun Also Rises is Jake Barnes. He is a man of complex personality--compelling, powerful, restrained, bitter, pathetic, extraordinarily ordinary yet totally human. His character swings from one end of the psychological spectrum to the other end. He has complex personality, a World War I veteran turned writer, living in Paris. To the world, he is the epitome of self-control but breaks down easily when alone, plagued by self-doubt and fears of inadequacy. He is at home in the company of friends in the society where he belongs, but he sees himself as someone from the outside looking in. He is not alone, yet he is lonely. He strikes people as confident, ambitious, careful, practical,

Jake also at times seems to realize how bad his life is, but then never regrets it. He is in love with Brett Ashley, but she is always with other people, including Robert Cohn, which makes Jake jealous. This jealousy turns to anger when Jake gets into a fight with Robert and is then knocked out.

Jake and Robert Cohn and their relationship is another indicator of the theme of masculine insecurity. Hemingway plays up the tensions of competition and jealousy to demonstrate just how uncertain his male characters are. Cohn seems to sincerely be keen of Jake, and while Jake is normally nice toward him although he does not really seem to reciprocate Cohn’s warmth. Their relationship changes once Jake discovers Cohn’s fling with Brett. After this incident, he is more unfriendly toward him, and more critical of him. A conversation that happens later between Jake and Bill hints at Jake’s jealousy. Bill asks Jake if he was ever in love with Brett and Jake responds with “Off and on for a hell of a long time.” Bill apologizes for being inconsiderate, Jake them claims he no longer cares. Bill is skeptic of this though (128). The competition between Jake and Cohn relationship reaches its first peak, when he finds out about Cohn’s trip with Brett and their sexual affair and by Cohn’s belief that he knows Brett better than Jake does. His hatred for Cohn grows even more throughout the novel with Jake

In Hemingway's philosophical paradigm, it is subconsciously encoded that Jake suffers with poise and refinement. He does not become irate with Brett for her decision, by contrast, he accepts her promiscuity and even chooses to help her in a multitude of ways, even though she repeatedly claims that she loves him. Consequentially, this is not to say that Jake did not suffer, rather than to suggest that he keeps his pain suppressed so as not to enervate himself any further. Jake knows the two can never initiate a relationship yet he still wishes to do so; his undying desire to be with Brett serves as his illusion even though it is a complete contradiction of his reality, as presented in the novel. This is the disheartening romantic imagery that deceits his realistic views. For example, in Chapter 7, Hemingway’s use of minimum dialogue between Brett and Jake has much meaning, which is rarely expressed throughout the novel. “Couldn’t we live together, Brett? …” “I don’t think so. I’d just tromper you with everybody.” (p. 62) Essentially, what Brett is saying is that due to his – handicap, if you will, all she would do is hurt Jake and commit constant infidelity against him, therefore, any chance for commitment is but a joke. This direct dialogue sets the underlying conflict as a form for one of the main themes expressed by Hemingway throughout this novel.

In The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway writes “nobody ever lives their life all the way up except bull-fighters” (100). Spoken by Jake, this line exemplifies the importance that bullfighting plays in the novel. It's not only portrayed as a sport, but rather as a complex, mathematical art in the form of a dance between the bull and fighter. The matador scene in chapter 18 is perhaps one of the richest in the novel due to it's use of symbols. The choreography between Romero and the bull is reflective not only of the characterization of Brett and Jake, but of the relationship between Brett, her masculinity, and her