“THE SUN ALSO RISES” The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway takes place in the mid-1920’s. The characters arrive from America, England and other ports of call. They travel from Paris to Pamplona and back again. To me, the focus is mostly in Paris and Pamplona. It is not a novel of main events as one event leads to another. Without emphasis being drawn to heavily to any one certain thing or place. The search and/or definition of masculinity even in Lady Brett Ashley (notice Brett is a masculine name) seems to be the central topic underscored by alcoholism, promiscuity, sex, anti-Semitism, lost and weakened souls and just surviving. In all wars, not just the “Great War”, the toll is high for survival. We experience certain types of life in America, England, France and Spain but the character’s life style do not seem to change. Arise, drink, work, party, drink, sex, and then drink some more. They seem to want to wear themselves out. It is almost as if they fear sleep and solitude. You can not help to feel a sense of sadness and loss in all. Where are they going? Possibly just one place to the next. What are they searching for, other than a good time? Maybe they are searching for themselves. Excitement, love, honor, and life are just to be dealt with daily. Jake, who never seemed to practice what he preached, once said, “You can't get away from yourself by moving from one place to the next.” Do they achieve their goals? “Well, isn’t it pretty to think so” In times following the First World War, men’s masculinity seemed to become somehow undefined. Even though the novel is told in the past tense, it emphasizes the present. Most of the characters are in their twenties and thirties. Jake Barnes, the narrator, a survivor of the war who’s wounds left him unable to perform sexually. However, he was still able to feel love. He can only express his love through his ...
