An ending.

It is difficult to come to a decision in regard to which aspects of modernism can be applied more to The Sun Also Rises than others; however, in this particular instance, I believe the two most applicable aspects to be the subversion of traditional values through departing from the standard methods of representing characters and violating traditional modes of narration through the use of the narrative device known as the stream of consciousness.

In Victorian literature, characters are often introduced and represented via the use of detailed and flowering prose; however, in The Sun Also Rises, the introduction of the main characters features as little information as possible—with the exception of Robert Cohn, whose background is discussed at length in the beginning of the novel. The Sun Also Rises is written as a first-person narrative as well, which is quite unlike more traditional Victorian literature.

A relation.

Similar to modernism in nature, the concept of Hemingway’s so-called “Code Hero” features a multitude of aspects within its definition that, when examined, appear to coincide with the actions, natures, and personalities of a number of the characters within The Sun Also Rises. As such, it is quite possible for one to relate the aspects of the Code Hero to those of modernism, both in general and in regard to the novel itself.

Take, for example, the following quote regarding the Code Hero: “He was a man involved in a great deal of drinking… who enjoyed bullfights, who was involved in all of the so-called manly activities, which the typical American male did not participate in.” Jake is, of course, a natural example of this, what with his excessive drinking and frequent comments regarding his status as an aficionado, one who is “…passionate about the bull-fights” (136).

How, however, does this relate to modernism as a whole? As with the numerous other relations made in previous entries, this one concerns the Lost Generation of World War I. Following the end of the war, veterans who were unable to find work in their homelands travelled to other countries in search of work; however, when they were unable to do so, many turned to alcohol to ease their troubled minds, hence the aforementioned quote.

An argument.

I believe Frances and Brett of The Sun Also Rises display more modernistic characteristics than their male counterparts simply because of the fact soft-spoken women would not have fit in with the plot as a whole. Take the bull fights as the most obvious example. Had a benevolent and sweet-tempered woman gone to Spain alongside Jake in Brett’s place, she surely would not have been as fascinated with the violence of the bull fights as Brett was.

Of course, that example merely scratches the surface of how vital Frances and Brett were to the plot. Had either character been replaced by a more characteristically feminine one, the males of the novel would not have experienced the grief they did—not literally, at least. For example, a more traditionally compassionate woman would have, say, shown interest in Cohn for his personality rather than his money, or settled down with one male and one male only.

A reaction.

Upon noticing the title page for Book III of The Sun Also Rises and realizing I was nearing the end of the novel, I experienced a surge of joy that had been absent throughout the entirety of the novel. I was nearing freedom at last—freedom from incomprehensible conversations, incorrigible women, lovestruck fools, and a generalized lack of human intelligence and understanding. However, as I continued to read, I soon found my feelings reverting back to those of pure, unadulterated irritation, the likes of which I had experienced throughout the entirety of the novel.

Perhaps ironically enough, I believe I would have been more than happy about the ending of the novel had Hemingway chosen to conclude his work around page 241—which, to those who do not have the novel available to them, happens to be right before Jake receives a telegram from Brett asking him to visit the Hotel Montana in Madrid—as it would have left far more to the imagination than the published ending does. Plus, I was not particularly pleased to hear Brett had, in effect, chased yet another of her suitors—and the one I liked most, to boot!—away.

However, as loathe as I am to admit it, I believe Brett was written to be a nymphomaniac in an attempt by Hemingway to modernize his novel. As modernism features, and I quote, the “deliberate and radical break” of traditional values and the departure from the “standard ways of representing characters”, there is no doubt in my mind that Brett was written the way she was to portray a more independent and self-reliant—albeit mentally unstable, perhaps—woman, which, at the time, was a rather unheard of characteristic within novelized women.

A beginning.

A fitting topic to begin the discussion of The Sun Also Rises is that of World War I, for both the plot and the characters of the novel reference the influence it had on those who came of age during the height of the war, the likes of whom have come to be known as the Lost Generation. Had the war never occurred when it did, there is a fair chance the novel would not have been published when it was, nor would it have featured the plot or the characters it does.

Take Jake as an example. Now a veteran of World War I, he is, for reasons unknown, albeit implied, unable to engage in sexual activities with Brett, whom he seems to desire more than life itself. This is, if what is implied within the text is true, a result of a wound he received during the war, not to mention a constant reminder of what he would consider a failure to be masculine. Had this not happened, he would have been able to form a sexual relationship with Brett and achieve some form of gratification.

Like Jake, Bill Gorton and Michael “Mike” Campbell, Brett’s fiancé, are also veterans of World War I whose lives would not have been the same had the war never occurred. Both have turned to alcohol in an attempt to forget the horrors of the war, though Bill seems reliant on humor as well. There is no doubt in the mind of the reader that all three characters, Jake included, have experienced severe trauma as a result of their wartime service, the likes of which has scarred them for life.

A translation.

The French word retrouvait is a conjugation of retrouver, which, when combined with the -aille suffix, produces retrouvaille, a word whose definition is as follows: the happiness of finding or meeting someone again after a long separation. Though this feeling is not one Jacob “Jake” Barnes of Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises admits to experiencing often, if at all, a rather twisted version of it is implied whenever he reunites with Lady Brett Ashley.