In The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway, is about a man living without a true purpose after WWI in Paris. Although there are many characters throughout the story, the three main characters are Jake Barnes, Lady Brett Ashley, and Robert Cohn.
Jake Barnes is the narrator and the protagonist of the story. He was an American WWI veteran who now works as a journalist in Paris. He likes to drink a lot, and goes out to parties, though he is very humble and really tries to avoid going. He keeps his feelings to himself, and suffers from the emptiness inside himself caused from the war, and his endless growing love for Lady Brett Ashley. Jake is seen as more of an observer, but through his insights his true feelings and opinions are visible.
Lady Brett Ashley, also referred to as Brett, is in quite contrast with Jake. She is lively and outgoing. She also likes to drink when the opportunity is available. She is separated from her husband and is waiting for a divorce, though she doesn’t let it hold her back from searching for new men. She is in love with Jake, however she chooses to keep him as a friend, because that would mean the end of her sex life which she prides herself on.
Robert Cohn is a writer in Paris. He is friends with Jake, and stands apart from the others because he has no direct part during the war, and he is also Jewish. Although the world is in distress because of the war, and many social norms were ignored, Cohn still believes in love and fair play for everyone. Due to his background he is often targeted by Jake’s friends and becomes the laughing stock of the group.
Summary: First off, Jake starts by introducing his friend, Robert Cohn. Jake is a veteran of war, and is now a journalist in Paris. He is very restless as night. One night Cohn decided to ask Jake to go to South Africa with him, but Jake refuses and decides to go to a nightclub where he meets Brett, who he fell in love with during the war. Brett struggles because she loves Jake, but is unwilling to give up sex. Cohn later finds out that Brett is going to marry a man named Mike, another War veteran. Brett then leaves to San Sebastian to keep distance between her and Jake. Several weeks later, one of Jake’s friends, Bill, comes and visits him, and tell him about his trip around the world. Jake plans to meet with Cohn in Pamplona, and runs into Brett and Mike. They all end up going to Pamplona. Bill and Jake took a train and met up with Cohn and planned to meet with Brett and Mike, but they didn’t show up. The three men spend their time drinking, fishing and doing it all over again. They finally meet up with Brett and Mike, and they all go to watch the bull fights/shows. Brett falls in love with one of the bull tamers, Pedro Romero, and insists on meeting him. Jake introduces her to Pedro, and they spend the night together. The guys end up going for drinks, and Jake wakes to find Cohn apologizing because after finding out Brett was with Romero, he beat him up. However, Romero refuses Cohn’s apology. Romero and Brett decide to go down to Madrid. Later on, Brett messages Jake that she wants to get back with Mike, because of fear of killing Romero’s reputation and career. Jake decides to help Brett and she talks about how wonderful life would be with Jake, and he responds with, “Pretty to think so”.
Overall, this book was very well-written and had a strong story that took a lot of time to process. If you have read, The Scarlett Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne, the structure and details follow the same tempo, and path throughout the story, where it’s increased detail to heighten senses and really bring vivid images out of the book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has the interest in historical drama, and an eye for strong details. However, if you are impatient and want to rush through the book I highly recommend to choose a different book, because this novel is quire slow and needs to be fully analyzed to understand the characters and their motivations throughout the story.
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