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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

20. Final Thoughts

The conclusion to The Sun Also Rises is summed up in these two sentences, "'Oh, Jake,' said Brett said, 'we could have had such a damned good time together.'...'Yes,' I said. 'Isn't it pretty to think so?'" (pg 251, Hemingway). When I first read the conclusion I thought well that is sort of ambiguous. Is she referring to their time together at the festival or their whole lives? But then, I decided to look beyond the words and a time frame and configure it into the theme. These characters lack their own purpose for their lives, yet they are trying to attain it. Which, is a natural want for all human to find a purpose and a place. Brett and Jake could have found it, but they did not and they accept that fact because life moves on, there is no changing the past.
I also believe there are no dynamic characters to this novel. Yet, it is another sign that their lives are not complete. They have not found their place yet, and there really is no "happy ever after" ending to this novel because like the reader's own life, that is how it works. The abrupt ending is just another sign that no one is in control of their own life. Sure, one can wander aimlessly looking for a purpose, but that does not mean there is a set date and time of death that we are aware of. So basically, just like Brett and Jake, we as the reader are on our own time to find a purpose and a place for our lives.

19. Plotline

The structure of the Sun Also Rises is written in three books. The three sort of reflect the literary terms of rising action, climax, and conclusion. However, book two is not just the climax, but rising action and falling action as well. Each book, except the third, typically ends when Brett leaves. At the end of the first book she leaves for San Sebastian and at the end of the second book she leaves with Romero. The ending of each book shows the importance of Brett to Jake, since he is the narrator. It also shows a symbol of the independence women were beginning to test at the time.

As a summary the rising action includes: anecdote of Robert Cohn at Princeton, night life in Paris, the introduction of Jake's relationships with Brett, Cohn, Harvey, and Frances, then, Cohn's affair with Brett and following her to Pamplona with Mike, Bill and Jake's trip to fish, and the beginning of the fiesta with Montoya and Romero.
The climax occurs when Cohn attacks Mike, Jake and massacres Romero and asks for forgiveness. The climax reflects the anecdote at the beginning of the novel which reflects on Cohn's inferiority and taking up boxing as a result.
The falling action/conclusion includes Romero's final bull fight, Brett going with Romero and her choice to leave him, and then Brett and Jake meeting in Madrid, Spain. The conclusion ends rather abruptly, the again, I feel it fits the entire novel. See next post.

18. Jake's Generalizations

"'Barmen and jockeys are the only people who are polite anymore'"(pg 248, Hemingway).

Haven't we heard something like this before? Like to the extent of "'Nobody ever lives their life all the way up except bull-fighters'"(pg 18, Hemingway). I would not exactly call it parallelism, but Jake has his way of putting the spotlight on different people. Maybe, he wishes to attain these qualities that others seem to possess. The bullfighter seems to possess all these attributes along with 'machismo'. According to dictionary.com machismo is defined as a strong or exaggerated sense of manliness; an assumptive attitude that virility, courage, strength, and entitlement to dominate are attributes or concomitants of masculinity.
Because of the war, Jake lacks the up most prominence of masculinity, and maybe in his aimless, wandering lifestyle, he feels he lacks the other qualities as well. Or maybe Jake wants his next adventure to lead him to the Kentucky Derby. =)

17. Oxymoron

Bill describes the fiesta as a "'wonderful nightmare'" (pg 226, Hemingway). As a whole, just those two words sum up a week of events. The fiesta for Bill and Jake was wonderful, but was tarnished by certain events. Such moments include the bitter attitudes of Mike and Cohn, Jake betraying Montoya, and ultimately the climax of Cohn attacking Mike, Jake, and Romero. Jake remains feeling terrible even after the fiesta is over. He could be upset for several reasons. First, there was the fight with Cohn. Also, the fiesta is finally over, and he must eventually return to reality in Paris. Lastly, once again, Brett has left the scene. Although it seems as if Brett is gone for good, I am not surprised that she returns for the conclusion. All the other characters left the plot for a reason, yet Brett just disappeared. Plus, the plot revolves around Jake's life and it is needless to say that the other main character in Jake's life is Brett.

16. Extended Metaphor

"'Here.' I put one hand on the small of my back and the other on my chest, where it looked as though the horn must have come through...'Badly cogido,' he said. 'All for sport. All for pleasure'" (pg 201, Hemingway). I find this extended metaphor rather ambiguous in that is it referring to Cohn and Brett, or Jake and Brett? Cohn believes that he and Brett are meant to be after their get together in San Sebastian, but Brett spends her time with her fiance, Mike, stabbing Cohn in the back. Yet, Jake has been through this with Brett all along. They're in love, but Brett even with Jake's knowledge has been involved with other men to satisfy her wants, and is supposed to be getting married. Both men have been hurt by Brett, both stabbed in the back, like a bull, and have felt the pain in their heart. Jake understands the pain Cohn has been through but refuses to emphasize with him. However, Cohn has no idea about Jake's feelings for Brett as shown through this excerpt:
"'I just couldn't stand it about Brett. I've been through hell, Jake. It's been simply hell. When I met her down here Brett treated me as though I were a perfect stranger. I just couldn't stand it. We lived together at San Sebastian. I suppose you know it. I can't stand it anymore'" (pg 198, Hemingway). Jake had to have wanted to angrily tell Cohn that he fully understood what he meant, yet that he had no idea what he had been through with Brett, perhaps years of this same treatment. Yet, once again, the 'Lost Generation' hardly ever expresses their true feelings.

15. Foreshadow? ...not so much

"Later in the day we learned that the man who was killed was named Vicente Girones, and came from near Tafalla...The bull who killed Vicente Girones was named Bocanegra, was number 118 of the bull-breeding establishment of Sanchez Taberno, and was killed by Pedro Romero as the third bull of that same afternoon. His ear was cut by popular acclamation and given to Pedro Romero, who, in turn, gave it to Brett, who wrapped it in a handkerchief belonging to myself, and left both ear and handkerchief, along with a number of Muratti cigarette-stubs, shoved far back in the drawer of the bed-table that stood beside her bed in the Hotel Montoya, in Pamplona" (pg 202-203, Hemingway).

I would not call the above foreshadow because it is more of a summary of the events to come beginning on page 223. The only idea really foreshadowed out of the paragraph is that the reader has an idea that Brett is going to leave. We are not really sure how except the fact that it sounds abrupt because she leaves items at the hotel. It is also possible that the items left behind are meant to stay in Pamplona because she wants to rid herself of those memories. Brett will eventually leave Romero, and maybe she already had the idea in mind and knew that possessing items with the essence of Romero would make the move harder for her.
The other use I found from this entry is that it sort of parallels Vicente Girones life to the life of the bull. For example it goes through where they were from, and other statistics about their lives. I feel as if Hemingway is trying to express respect to both the life of the human and the bull. Wikipedia states, While there is usually no doubt about the outcome, the bull is not viewed as a sacrificial victim — it is instead seen by the audience as a worthy adversary, deserving of respect in its own right. Overall, hidden behind the summary of the deaths of these two creatures is an insider to Spanish culture.

14. The English are Pigs

There are a few references to the English being pigs in The Sun Also Rises. "'Damned English swine come here and insult Mike and try and spoil the fiesta.' 'They're so bloody,' Mike said. 'I hate the English'" (pg 192, Hemingway). So at this point in the novel Mike and Bill are not even referring to Brett, but it seems kind of ironic that Mike says he hates the English when that is his fiance's nationality. Then again, Mike knows that Brett is off with another guy (Romero) once again. This is not the first time Brett and pigs have been referred to together. On page 148, "'He calls her Circe,' Mike said. 'He claims she turns men into swine.'" Circe alludes to Greek mythology. She is the goddess who turned Odysseus' men into swine (wikipedia). I would not really say that the men are the swines, rather she is the swine because she fulfills her desires through different men. Ultimately, I think the above conversation between Bill and Mike refers to Brett more than the English men who caused trouble in the bar. It is just another device used by Hemingway to show that these characters were not interested in showing their true feelings.

13. Bulls are friends?

"'No. Don't do that. The bulls are my best friends.'...'You kill your friends?' she asked. 'Always,' he said in English, and laughed. 'So they don't kill me'"(pg 189-190, Hemingway). So, Brett, Jake, and Romero are sitting around having this conversation with one another. To me, it seems to parallel some of the relationships between the characters. They are not literally killing each other (well not yet) but they do have desires they cannot attain because of one another. First, Mike is self destructing Cohn because he hangs around Brett, and is Jewish. Cohn is bothering everyone because he his a nuisance. Yet, while everyone seems to focus on Cohn, Brett is her own silent murderer. She is killing Mike, Cohn, and Jake. She is Mike's fiance, but still has relationships with other men. She had a relationship with Cohn once, so he thinks they are in love. She and Jake are supposedly in love but she refuses to settle down with him. Brett will soon be the reason for Cohn attacking Romero. Basically, this group does nothing but destruct one another, when they are supposed to be a civil group of friends. Although Cohn will soon physically try to hurt some of the group, he will ultimately be the one exiled.

12. Montoya's Warning; Jake's Destruction

So I have finished the book. =) Now to finish blogging. =/

Even though in Spanish culture, Romero is considered the ultimate form of 'machismo' or masculinity, Montoya still tries to protect him from outside influences like American culture. "'He's such a fine boy,' said Montoya [to Jake.] 'He ought to stay with his own people. He shouldn't mix in that stuff'" (pg 176, Hemingway). Yet, of all people, especially one Montoya considered 'aficionado', it's Jake who invites Romero over to drink with his group. It is merely a sequence of cause and effect, because Jake introduces Romero to Brett, he becomes attracted to her, which then leads to the climax of our story with Cohn fighting Mike and Jake and massacring Romero. And Jake thought it "...seemed as though nothing could have any consequences. It seemed out of place to think of consequences during a fiesta" (pg 158, Hemingway). So much for that Jake. It really surprises me that as the novel goes on Jake never apologizes to Montoya. Surely being our first person narrator meant he knew of the terrible glances and the avoidance he was receiving from Montoya.
One question remains for me; were there good consequences because of Jake's decision? Well, Cohn finally left. Also, Brett I feel as if she finally made a decent decision because of Jake's actions. She did something beneficial to someone else instead of being selfish. She left Romero towards the end of the novel, because she did not want to ruin this young man's career/life.

Monday, June 28, 2010

11. Tone

Several tones I have selected for the novel so far include cyncial, nostalgic, and negatively humorous. The novel is cynical in that there has yet to be a high point for the main character, Jake. He cannot have Brett, he has been injured by the war, he picks up prostitutes for something to pass the time, and he spends much of his free time drinking. Along with Jake, each character has been effected negatively by the war (including Hemingway), yet as the reader we are not completely sure of how or to what affect this has on them because the characters are very protective of their feelings. All the reader knows is that the lives of the characters are very routine and aimless. The tone is also nostalgic in that it is written in the past tense and is focused in the first person point of view through Jake. Lastly, the tone is humorous because of the affect of intoxication on each character, especially Mike, and because it is a way of not directly expressing feelings, like Bill. Overall, the tone(s) reflect the aimlessness of these people's lives and there failure in finding a purpose (atleast for now) in the post war world.

10. Cruel Humor

It is only day one, and the tension between Mike and Cohn could be cut by a knife. Example:

"'It's no life being a steer,' Robert Cohn said. 'Don't you think so?' Mike said. 'I would have thought you'd loved being a steer, Robert.' 'What do you mean, Mike?' 'They lead such a quiet life. They never say anything and they're always hanging about so'" (pg 145-146, Hemingway). Going back to the gradeschool days, does anyone notice the connection between the words bull, and bully? Mike is like the bull in that he is attacking the steer, Cohn. Mike's reasons for bullying Cohn come from the fact that ever since he stayed in San Sebastian with Brett, he's been following her like a little puppy. Which seems reasonable because Brett is Mike's fiance. However, he's not scolding Brett for her actions. No one seems able to tie down this woman, which shows an overall shift from the subservient housewife to a liberated woman.
Back to Cohn, the reason this joke seems so cruel is because throughout the novel already Cohn carries a stereotype because he is Jewish. What makes it even worse between Cohn and Jake's group is that he is a nonveteran. However, no one except Mike has verbally attacked Cohn. Jake will share that he 'hates' Robert, but expresses no negative action towards him. As a future prediction, I feel as if the anecdote about Cohn at Princeton at the beginning of the novel is going to come into the picture very soon.

9. Syntax

Hemingway was one for "his spare but powerful writing style" (see back of The Sun Also Rises). Most of his sentences are short and direct rather than long and complex. His most vivid and more compound and/or complex sentence variety is often found when describing the scences of Paris night life, or the French and Spanish countrysides. Some of these occur at the beginning of each chapter, but not all. A good example:


"After awhile we came out of the mountains, and there were trees along both sides of the road, and a stream and ripe fields of grain, and the road went on, very white and straight ahead, and then lifted to a little rise, and off on the left was a hill with an old castle, with buildings close around it and a field of grain going right up to the walls and shifting in the wind (pg 99, Hemingway).

Now when describing the actions, words, and thooughts of each character most sentences are typically short. For example. "'I wish I could go. We've been looking forward to this fishing all winter.' He was beeing sentimental about it. 'But I ought to stay. I really ought. As soon as they come I'll bring them right up.' 'Let's find Bill.' 'I want to go over to the barber shop.' 'See you at lunch.' I found Bill up in his room. He was shaving" (pg 106, Hemingway). Maybe, Hemingway uses short sentences for his characteers because that is how humans really function. Or, maybe, in describing the 'lost generation', there lives truly are simple or routine, in that they all avoid the complexity of the post war world.

8. Symbolism

I feel as if chapter ten is a a shifting point for our narrator Jake. On page 98 and 99 Hemingway describes the beautiful landscape and the trip through the mountains. I feel as if the crossing of the border of France into Spain and the journey is a symbol of a change in Jake. I think Jake becomes more open to the reader with his thoughts. It begins with the scene of him going into the church at Pamplona and letting his mind wander. Then, in chapter eleven, during the fishing trip, Jake is able to interact with Bill in a way that he has not shared with any other character. They mention Brett, and other touchy subjects in that time period, like homosexuality. Also, on the fishing trip, I noticed a shift in alcohol consumption. Although Jake and Bill take a bottle of wine on their trip, they were not nearly as intoxicated as they were each night in Paris. Overall, I think something about Spain has not changed the attitude of Jake, but rather his character.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Jeopardy!

So we should all know that The Sun Also Rises was an answer on Jeopardy! tonight. The clue was something along the lines of this book by Hemingway was originally titled Fiesta. Just a fun fact for everyone. =)

Thursday, June 17, 2010

7. Routine

I am starting to notice quite a pattern to Jake and his friends. Each day is almost a repeat of the day before. They typically go to work, out to lunch..plus a drink, back to work for a few more hours, then dinner, then out to the clubs, and sleep falls somewhere in the routine. The only day that really seems different is Sunday, where the men might possibly play a game of tennis. I am curious to how Jake and his friends seem to afford such extravagant lifestyles. It seems as if drinking, gambling, and the occasional prostitute would eventually add up (not that I know the conversion of money in Europe to the American dollar). The time period to this novel makes it several years before the depression (which not only effected the United States). We do know that Jake only has to support himself, having no wife or children. Besides Jake and Cohn, the reader is uninformed about the other family lives' of the men. Overall, I feel this lifestyle of drinking partakes in a large part of this novel, as if these men are drinking to their sorrows. Before the novel even begins, it states something about the lost generation, well maybe Jake and his friends do not feel so lost when they are inebriated.

6. Irony Two

Count Mippipopolous asks, "'Why don't you get married, you two?' 'We want to lead our own lives,' I said. 'We have our careers,' Brett said" (Hemingway, 68). The irony in this situation is that the reader knows Jake and Brett's excuses are lies. If it was not for Jake's injury from WWI, Brett would have most likely accepted a marriage proposal.


As Jake and Brett are dancing once again, "[t]he drummer shouted: 'You can't two time---'"(Hemmingway, 70). Once again, the reader can realize the irony in this situation because we know Brett is engaged to Mike Campbell, but is dancing with Jake whom she has feelings for. These words could also be ironic to the characters, but neither of them comment on the singing of the drummer. It is possible that Hemingway included this small interruption as a view into Brett's mind. Maybe those words are the exact thoughts running through her mind. She might feel guilty for the life she is leading, especially considering that she mentions she is being payed back for all the hell she has put men through.

5. Irony

I found that the early chapters of The Sun Also Rises are full of irony.
Verbal Irony


At the end of chapter four Brett states, "'You make me ill'" (Hemingway,42). It is not that Jake makes Lady Ashley literally sick, but the idea that their so called 'love' puts stress on her. Almost as if she is love sick over someone she refuses to have.


Dramatic Irony


Frances in conversation with Cohn says "'I always keep my appointments. No one keeps theirs, nowadays'" (Hemingway, 53). What makes these words so ironic to the reader is that we know that Cohn was just stood up at a restaurant minutes ago by Ashley, because she was intoxicated when they made the appointment. Yet, Frances has no idea of Cohn's previous hour.


"...Brett said. 'You're terribly right. I always joke people and haven't a friend in the world. Except Jake here'"(Hemingway, 65). What's ironic about this situation is Brett really does joke with Jake. Not necessarily the word joke, but plays with his emotions. She sometimes wants to be with him and shows her affection, but other times she goes to other men, including her fiance. In a way, she sort of leads Jake on.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

4. Robert Cohn

I do. I shouldn't wonder if I were in love with her (Hemingway, 46). Robert Cohn tends to be easily influenced by others, especially women. He has only met Lady Ashley once and already questions his love for her, but this is nothing new to Cohn. He married the first girl to come across him fresh out of Princeton. Which in a way most likely parallels the boxing he took up at Princeton because of the inferiority he felt because of anti-semitism. Then after his five year marriage and divorce, he meets Frances within two years of arriving in Paris from the states. After several years of promising to marry Frances he withdraws on his commitment, but like his previous relationship, refuses to end it once and for all. I feel as if since Cohn believed himself inferior at Princeton he tends to hold on to anyone who will treat him as an equal, and possibly love him. Yet, because of this tendency, he is not truly in love with the people who love him. Instead, he is finding himself infatuated with a woman and mistaking it for love. To him, this infatuation is like a bond to him, a connection that no longer makes him feel inferior.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

3. Anaphora

Told him I knew too many people in Cannes. Monte Carlo. Told him I knew too many people in Monte Carlo. Told him I knew too many people everywhere (Hemingway, 41). There are several ways I believe these several sentences with repetition can be analyzed. 1) Literal meaning: She truly has been everywhere, maybe she has traveled the world or Europe, she was a volunteer in WWI. 2) Like usual, she is extremely inebriated, and sometimes when people have a little too much to drink they tend to start repeating themselves. 3) From the descriptions of Jake, we know that Brett is very attractive, attracts men, and is engaged. Yet, even though she is engaged to Mike Campbell, she still tends to have relations with other men. Well, maybe by the statement above she is incinuating that many men would know her in these places because she tends to have her way. I do not believe this repetition is a mistake by Hemingway. It is too obviously stated, rather I think he wants the reader to get a deeper understanding of the tendencies of Lady Ashely.

2. Indirect Characterization

Brett was damned good-looking. She wore a slipover jersey sweater and a tweed skirt, and her hair was brushed back like a boy's. She started all that. She was built with curves like the hull of a racing yacht... (simile)(Hemingway,29-30). Of all the characters, thus far, Brett is the only one described somewhat physically. He never mentions such characteristics like hair and eye color. Yet, although this is merely the basic physical features of Lady Ashley, it is not long before the reader discovers that she lures men, is frequently inebriated, and miserable. In a way, the first person narration correlates directly with the indirect characterization. Jake is the five senses of the reader. Whatever he wants the reader to know he describes by what he hears, or the conversations he partakes in. In a way, it seems as if Jake only concentrates on other people rather himself. His injury has barely been described and most of his thoughts are blurred with the effects of alcohol. It seems that indirect characterization really fits this novel because as a reader we are relying on the interpretation of Jake about others, rather than himself.

1. First Person Narrator

Beginning in chapter one, the reader is instantly informed of a first person narrator in the second sentence, Do not think that I am very much impressed... (Hemingway, 11), and by the end of the chapter we are informed that our narrator's name is Jake. It is not so much Jake as a character I wish to focus on but rather, the author who created Jake. I feel as if Hemingway followed the old adage, write what you know. From the back cover of the book and the about the author page, one can learn that Hemingway was a writer for The Kansas City Star, injured in WWI, settled in Paris, and was interested in nature and bull fighting. Jake, like his counterpart in the novel, is an injured American veteran of WWI from Kansas City, a writer for a newspaper in Paris, who mentions that "'Nobody ever lives their life all the way up except bull-fighters'"(Hemingway, 18). Although Cohn is the character trying to write fictional stories, like Hemingway eventually suceeded in, he is most shown through the character of Jake. Which in a way makes logical sense to have Jake be the narrator, because Hemingway was able to freely use 'I' as the author living snippets of this piece. Overall, I feel as if Hemingway left a piece of himself in this novel, and maybe that is why it is acclaimed as one of his "masterpieces".

The Sun Also Rises