In my opinion, The Sun Also Rises is fine piece of writing, particularly the
concrete descriptions of the places in the novel. I have gained an appreciation
for Hemingway’s celebrated writing style. On the other hand, I did not like the
bullfights in the story, which seemed to glorify ritualized violence and
slaughter in the same way that those who promulgate war glorify it. Perhaps
that was Hemingway’s literary intention with the graphic bullfighting scenes.
The reader discerns throughout the
story that the narrator, Jake, is so in love with Brett (Lady Ashley) that he
sacrifices his own happiness to help her pursue other lovers. Jake selflessly
puts Brett’s desires above his own. His suffering, because it is motivated by
love, is noble.
All of the primary male characters
in the story are static. For instance, at the end of the novel, Jake finds
himself where he was at the beginning of the story. Cohn returns to his former
lover. Bill and Mike return to their lives after the fiesta. That would explain
the quotation from Ecclesiastes at the beginning of the book, which speaks of
circular cycles. It would also explain the Gertrude Stein quote at the top of
the same page: “You are all a lost generation.” The characters in the novel
were damaged by their losses. Their world is a miasma of drunkenness and blood
sports.
At the end of the novel we realize
that Brett was the only character that had evolved. At one point Brett
declares: “I’ve lost my self-respect” (187). Unlike her impetuous flings, her
love for Pedro Romero proved to be real; it was more than mere infatuation.
Unlike the other men in the book, Romero was pure and uncorrupted. Because of
this, and recognizing her own corruption, Brett breaks off the relationship
with him. For perhaps the first time in her life, she put the welfare of
another human being above her own petty desires. Like Jake has done for her,
Brett sacrifices her own happiness for the sake of Romero.
The final irony occurs in the last
lines of the novel. Brett says: “[W]e could have had such a damned good time
together” (251). “’Yes. I said. ‘Isn’t it
pretty to think so?’” (251). Doesn’t that just make your heart ache?
I find the point that Brett was the only character to change very interesting. At the end of the novel, Jake is in a car staring at Brett, which is exactly how she was introduced. I had not thought of the other men being static characters, but they absolutely are. As Brett drives away with Jake at the end, she is the one who leans against him, and when we first met her she tried to stay away from him. I love how Charles points out that this is a symbol of her change.
ReplyDeleteThe last line was very touching. It makes me feel pity for both Jake and Brett. They both clearly care for each other, but after all they have seen in life and the trauma of war could they really deal with their demons and still have a healthy relationship with someone that knows exactly what the other went through?
ReplyDeleteI have PTSD, which I think is safe to assume Brett, Jake, and Mike have some symptoms of, and I could never expect a healthy relationship with someone that came from a similar trauma. I love them dearly and it would be "pretty to think" we could have futures, but then we couldn't escape the trauma. It would all be too close and too real again.
So I feel bad about what happened to them. But I don't hate Brett for trying to make herself happy. And I can only pity them to the extent that they can't be together. They would just be more miserable if they were.
The last lines only make me feel for Jake. He watched the woman that he loved mess around with numerous other men. She used Jake because she knew he would be there for her. For instance, she asked him to come to Madrid to get rid of Romero, and after he did, she told him she wanted to be with Mike again. I believe that she never was with him just because he was unable to perform sexually, but in the end, if you truly love someone, does that really matter?
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