The Sun Also Rises
Writer: Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)
Title: The Sun Also Rises
Allusive significance of the title: The title of the novel comes from the quotation from the bible that suggests nature always regenerates as each generation falls.
Time of composition: 1925
Published date: 1926
Genre: Novel, Historical fiction.
Point of view: First person limited.
Time setting: 1920s
Place setting: The capital city of France Paris, San Sebastián is a northern coastal city of Spain, Pamplona, the capital city of the Autonomous Community of Navarre situated in northern Spain, Bayonne, a region of southwestern France, Burguete of Pamplona.
The key concept of the novel:
The novel has been divided into three books. There are seven chapters in the first book, eleven chapters in the second book, and only one chapter in the third book.
Themes:
- Paris and the lost generation
- Superficiality
- Effect of War and Disillusionment
- Masculinity and impotence
- Sexuality and bullfighting
- Antisemitism
- The fiesta and nature
- Escapism
Symbols
Bullfighting: Bullfighting symbolizes masculinity and the fraught relationships among the men—Cohn, Jake, Mike, and Romero—and Brett.
Water: For the characters in The Sun Also Rises water symbolizes purification, both physical and emotional.
Characters
Major Characters
Jake Barnes: Jake Barnes who is an American war veteran is the protagonist and narrator of the novel. He is a war veteran and presently works as a journalist in Paris, the capital city of France. It is his permanent sorrow that he has been impotence from the injury of WW1, World War First.
Lady Brett Asley: She is presently divorced and maintains multi-level relationships with male characters of the novel.
Robert Cohn: Robert Cohn is an irritating friend of Jake and an American Jewish expatriate. He is the boxing champion and novelist who has lost most of his inheritance because of his unsuccessful conjugal life. He is now in Paris with a rude and exploitative lady namely Frances.
Bill Gorton: Bill Gorton is an American writer who provides comic relief as Jake’s best friend.
Mike Campbell: Mike Campbell is a Scottish veteran who drinks heavily to forget the horrors of war. He is his fiancé of Brett and is presently bankrupt because of his false friends.
Pedro Romero: Pedro Romero is a nineteen years old handsome, talented bullfighter who embodies the ideal of masculine sportsmanship.
Minor characters
The Count: Count Mippipopolous is a rich Greek count and veteran of seven wars. He is different from others because he drinks his life best after wartime.
Frances: Frances Clyne is Robert Cohn’s fiancée before Mr. Cohn meets Brett. Frances feels entitled to marriage even though Cohn does not love her.
Georgette: She is the Parisian prostitute with whom Jake flirts and the impotence of Jake is indirectly exposed through this flirt.
Montoya: He is a Spanish hotel owner who prides himself on being a fan of bullfighting.
The Sun Also Rises Critical summary
Book one; Chapters 1-7
- Jake’s description of his friend Robert Cohn:
The place setting of the first book of the novel is Paris which is the capital city of France. The story of the novel starts with the description of war veteran protagonist Jake Barnes. Jake describes his boxing champion and rich novelist expatriate friend Robert Cohn who is a Jew. Jake who is now in the profession of journalism does not like Robert Cohn but he has to tolerate him because they both belong to the class of the lost generation. Robert Cohn has come to the capital city of France with a rude exploitive lady Frances Clyne for the purpose of writing a novel.
Robert Cohn is an unsuccessful man in his conjugal since he got divorced from his wife and also lost most of his inheritance because of his unsuccessful marriage. Jake also informs Robert Cohn that Cohn has come back from America after a successful premium and selling of his novel. Cohn has now been mad for adventure after coming back from America and wants to spend a vacation with Jake in South America. While spending vacation, Mr. Cohn wants to finish his second novel. But Jack is unintentional to go on vacation though all the expenses will be managed by Mr. Cohn.
In such a way, the superficial life of the people of the lost generation moves forward without any meaning although they are busy finding the meaning of their life.
2. Jack’s meeting with Lady Brett Ashley
One night Jake flirts with a prostitute Georgette in a bar. While drinking, they reach to the utmost intention of sexual intention, and Georgette hotly steps to kiss Jake but Jack refuses her declaring that he is ill because of a hurt from the destructive WW1 or World War First. This remark of Jack indirectly indicates his impotence which stands for losing masculinity for having sexual intercourse.
Being frustrated, Jack is drinking sitting at the doorway of the bar. In the meantime, he meets Lady Brett Asley whom Jake knows as just Brett from wartime because Brett worked in the army hospital during WW1 and she cared much for Jake in his injury. Actually, Jake at first could not recognize Brett since she looked like a handsome young man.
At the bar, almost all the characters of the novel get introduced to each other and Robert Cohn also meets Brett at the bar for the first time. While gossiping and drinking aimlessly, Jack offers Brett to go out of here and they take a taxi to the hotel of Brett. In the taxi, Jack and Brett try to get very intimate with each other. Then Jake laments over his misfortune and confesses to Brett that the injury of the war has snatched away his manhood. Then Brett stops kissing Jake who claims that they would spend a better life if he did not lose his sexual power.
Despite this Jake proposes to Brett to stay with him but she humorously bans Jake’s proposal because she does not want to make her life and wants to enjoy the freedom of sex.
In the morning, while playing tennis with Jake, Robert Cohn tries to know about Brett. Jake warns Mr. Cohn that Brett is a drunk lady and already has been engaged with Mike Gorton who has been bankrupted by his false friends. But here something different is going on the mind of Cohn for Brett.
3. Mike Gorton’s attractive to Brett
From this moment, whenever Jake and Brett meet, they get hot by infilled kissing and Brett talks about her fiancé to manage the situation. Brett suddenly informs Jake that she is going to spend a vacation in Sen Sebastian, a coastal city in northern Spain, to get out of this situation till her fiancé returns to the parish from Scotland. Thus, book one ends up.
Read more: The Hairy Ape English summary
Book two
Chapters 11-18
The second book of the novel starts with a plan to go to Pamplona for enjoying bullfighting. Jake, Bill, Robert Cohn, Mike, and Brett are taking preparation to go to the northern capital of Spain to see bullfighting. But Brett is upset because of Robert Cohn. She informs Jake that Robert Cohn should be discarded from the list because she went to San Sebastian with Mr. Cohn. However, reaches the hotel of Montoya after a fishing trip which creates a strong bond between Jake and Bill.
Montoya welcomes Jake and his friends heartily and ensures that he and Jake are true fans of the bullfight. Besides, he asserts that the guest can meet with the famous bullfighters here in this hotel because the bullfighters are staying here.
In the bull ring, Pedro Romero who is a nineteen years old bullfighter shows his skills as a hero. He symbolizes in the novel as masculinity. Brett becomes a fan of Romero at first sight and falls in love with him. Romero equally loves Brett from the bottom of his heart. Jake plays a vital role to link between Brett and Romero. When Robert Cohn can learn from Mike that Jake is responsible for the relationship between Brett and Romero. He bites Jake and Romero severely.
At the hotel, Bill informs Jake that Mr. Cohn is very upset and he wants to meet. Jake with hesitation goes to Cohn’s room and sees that Mr. Cohn is crying and apologizes to Jake by declaring that he is going to leave Spain at the very next morning because he could not tolerate Brett’s behavior toward him. Here in Pamplona, Brett behaves with Mr. Cohn in such a way that she does not know him.
Despite this chaotic situation Jake, Bill, Mike, and Brett enjoy the fiesta which is a religious festival. Romero shows his masculinity in bullfights in sundry ways avoiding his injuries. He also kills the bull which kills a man on the street. The ears of the bull are gifted to Brett who keeps these in the dowers of the hotel.
On the final day of the fiesta, Mike, Bill, Jake, and Brett share a meal. Mike leaves Brett because of her relationship with Romero and Bill comments that Fiesta was a nightmare. Jake agrees with Bill.
Book three
Chapter 19
Mike, Bill, and Jake rent a car to leave Pamplona, and they go out drinking together one more time. Mike confesses he is out of money for some time and Brett had paid most of the hotel bill. They all part ways and Jake returns to San Sebastian, searching for solace in nature. He spends a few blissful days swimming in the sea and following the bike races, but soon a telegram from Brett arrives begging him to meet her in Madrid. Jake jumps on the first available train, traveling overnight to reach her.
He finds her in her hotel alone. She has broken up with Romero, who wanted her to grow her hair out and marry him. She cries, shaking, and says she plans to return to Mike. Brett puts his arms around her. Later she can’t stop talking about how young Romero was. She and Jake have lunch, and she asks Jake repeatedly not to get drunk, but he keeps drinking. They go for a drive in Madrid, and their bodies press together in the taxi. Brett says she and Jake “could have had such a damned good time together.” Jake bitterly responds, “Yes, isn’t it pretty to think so?”
Read More: Beloved Summary in details
