{Cohn} “I can’t stand it to think my life is going so fast and I’m not really living it.”
{Jake} “Nobody ever lives their life all the way up except bull-fighters.” (pg. 18)
This excerpt of dialogue captures an aspect of one of the most important themes in the book. Throughout the entirety of The Sun Also Rises, Hemmingway depicts what he calls the Lost Generation. This Lost Generation is made up of men and women who were heavily affected by World War I. The Lost Generation can be described as, aimless and without any moral implications from before the war. The war has negatively affected their ability to, essentially, live with purpose. So, due to this feeling of aimlessness, many of these men and women found themselves without clear purpose in their lives. This concept frustrates them beyond belief, as exemplified in this quote, and leads them down a path of foolish indulgence. The character, Cohn is a prime example of this aimlessness and loss of purpose.
Connections
1. Throughout the whole of the book, Hemmingway weaved a theme of male vulnerability. This theme is showed through Jake, one of the main characters, in his inability to perform the sexual act due to an injury from the war. Jake not only feels like less of a man because of this simple loss of function but also because Brett, another main character and the woman he is in love with, will not enter a relationship with him because of it. An example of this is first shown through Jake’s interaction with the prostitute called Georgette. This excerpt of conversation shows the excuse he gives her in protecting himself from ridicule.
“She touched me with one hand and I put her hand away.
“Never mind.”
“What’s the matter? You sick?”
“Yes.”” He is clearly trying not to draw attention to his dysfunction and feels ashamed by it, leading him to make up some excuse about being sick. While sexual dysfunction is not my connection to the real world, loss of masculinity is certain present in our world today. Many men do not know what it means to be masculine, or perhaps they do what it means, and pass it off as undignified nonsense. It is my observation that many men do not fight for things anymore. (i.e. relationships, job opportunities, etc.). Many have become passive, won’t pursue anything that doesn’t hit them over the head, and lack inner strength.
2. "Oh, Jake," Brett said, "We could have had such a damned good time together." Ahead was a mounted policeman in khaki directing traffic. He raised his baton. The car slowed suddenly pressing Brett against me.
"Yes," I said. "Isn't it pretty to think so?" (pg. 251)
This quote stood out to me while I was reading the final pages of The Sun Also Rises. The quote comes at the time when Brett is left by here once pursuing lover, Romero. Jake comes for her to Madrid and they have this conversation. It stood out to me for several reasons. For one, I thought it was another example of how Jake felt un-masculine, because he was kind of there as a backup. The main reason this quote stood out to me, however, is because of what Jake says in the last line “Isn’t it pretty to think so?” This has a direct connection to a humanist issue we all face at least once in our lives. Sometimes, it is hard to live in the present, and we focus too much on the past, which can result in serious traumatic depression. Often times we wonder, well, what if? What if this happened? What if it turned out this way? In reality, this is no way to live life. We have to keep moving forward in order not to miss out on what life might be offering us in the moment. I often have to remind myself of this and make it a goal to not dwell heavily in the past.
3. Another somewhat undertone theme I noticed while reading this book was the misuse and abuse of sex. This is shown through almost all of the characters in the book including Georgette, Brett, Mike, Romero, Cohn, and even Jake and some points in the book. It was interesting to see that Hemingway included this as part of the Lost Generation. It is my belief that this misuse of sex is also a theme in our generation today. Sex was designed to be an intimate connection between husband and wife. This is how it was preserved, until the morals began to fade away, possibility even due to what Hemingway describes at the Lost Generation. Most of our generation is truly lost when it comes to sex. While some have figured it to be an expression of love between two people, others simply do it for pleasure or for some other unknown reason. Even when sex is shared between two people that love each other (outside of marriage), there is no guarantee that they will be together forever and can be psychologically devastating if the two split. Overall, sex in our generation is taken way out of context and has been abused similar to the Lost Generation described in Hemingway’s book.
Visual Representation
This image is an accurate description of how several of the characters are feeling in the book. Throughout the entirety of this book, I pictured apocalyptic emotions from each of the characters. Destroyed. Withered. Run down. Lost. Desperate. Dark. “You are all a lost generation.” – Gertrude Stein in conversation is presented at the front of this book. This image is of a lost generation and a sense of defiled hope.
Questions
In what ways are present times like the Lost Generation? Why does the character Brett seem to have more inner strength then Jake? Is Brett a symbol of feminism? How does one help a Lost Generation? How can humans become less lost? How can Americans become less like the Lost Generation? Are we forever lost?
Reflection
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Sun Also Rises for several reasons. First, I enjoy Hemingway’s use of dialogue throughout the book. He uses dialogue quite often, which is something I am not use to in a writer but find it depicts the story in a more vivid and realistic way. Second, it was interesting to read about themes like the Lost Generation and the misuse of sex and compare to modern times in America. I recommend this book for all readers. It is highly interesting to discover the parallels between the themes in this book and the themes in our world today. The book is fairly simple to read, making it available to readers on all levels.
