"The Sun Also Rises"

ANALYSIS INFORMATION:

Comments:

The Sun Also Rises is an outstanding example of the modern novel which started to appear after WWI. Up to this point, traditional novels were laden with explanations, interpretations, and summaries, (Norton 868) and the author built upon a universally accepted frame of social values. Novels were also very long, sometimes having several volumes. The omniscient third person was employed and time was shown as a series of separate moments presented in chronological sequence (Norton 757). Modernist literature is, for the most part, much shorter and is often presented in the first person, giving the reader only one point of view. These novels ask the reader to think, ask questions, and look for answers outside of the text. The story begins arbitrarily, advances without explanation, and often ends without resolution--everyone does not get what they want in the end. Modernist literature is constructed of fragments and "the search for meaning, even if it does not succeed, becomes meaningful in itself" (Norton 868). Authors also began to borrow from cinematic techniques, such as the flashback and intercutting. Time was no longer linear but appeared as a continuous flow in individual consciousness and this consciousness was on multiple levels. The author used his or her own set of personal values since the old set had disappeared because of the war. Hemingway was a master of short and direct, choppy and colloquial dialogue. The reader must listen to the tone and pay attention to inflections and shadings in order to extract the full meaning. He once stated: "I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it under water for every part that shows" (Norton 1539). The Sun Also Rises underscores the importance of Dramatica's signposts and journeys. Since the modern novel has none of the old conventional signposts which told the reader where she or he was, (Norton 1757) Dramatica's analysis of the encoded progressive plot appreciations is an extremely important tool and rewards thereader with "richness in symbolic suggestions" (Baker 1102).

Brief Synopsis:

Scribner back cover description:

The Sun Also Rises encapsulates the angst of the post-World War I generation, known as the Lost Generation. This poignantly beautiful story of a group of American and English expatriates on a sojourn from Paris to Pamplona represents a dramatic step forward for Hemingway's evolving style. Featuring Left Bank Paris in the 1920's and brutally realistic descriptions of bullfighting in Spain, the story is about the flamboyant Lady Brett Ashley and the hapless Jake Barnes.

Objective Character Mini-Synopsis:

Jake Barnes: An impotent American expatriate journalist living and working in Paris, who is in love with Lady Brett Ashley.

Lady Brett Ashley: An attractive English socialite divorcee who is an alcoholic nymphomaniac. Robert Cohn: An American writer currently living in Paris who fancies himself in love with Lady Brett Ashley.

Mike Campbell: A Scottish socialite, alcoholic and bankrupt, who is engaged to Lady Brett Ashley.

Pedro Romero: A handsome young up-and-coming Spanish bullfighter who is pursued by Brett Ashley.

Count Mippipopolous: A wealthy, worldly-wise older Greek gentleman-about-town who dispenses very valuable advice to Jake and Brett.

Frances Clyne: A strong willed but colorless American woman who is engaged to Robert Cohn.

Bill Gorton: An affable American writer who is an old friend of Jake's.

Montoya: The Spanish owner of The Montoya Hotel in Pamplona; an old friend of Jake' who strongly disapproves of Lady Brett Ashley.

THE OBJECTIVE CHARACTERS:

Name: Jake Barnes
Gender: Male
Description:
"Jake Barnes--a modern Abelard--is wounded and impotent yet stoic and admirable" (Meyers 460).
Role: Journalist
Characteristics:

Motivation: Consider; Pursuit;
Methodology: Certainty;
Evaluation: Proven; Effect;
Purpose: Knowledge; Actuality;

Name: Lady Brett Ashley
Gender: Female
Description:
Brett was "damned good looking." She wore a slipover jersey sweater and a tweed skirt, and her hair was brushed back like a boy's. She started all that. She was built with curves like the hull of a racing yacht, and you missed none of it with that wool jersey. (Hemingway 22)
Role: Idle socialite
Characteristics:

Motivation: Temptation;
Methodology: Probability;
Evaluation: Theory; Cause;
Purpose: Desire; Self Aware;

Name: Bill Gorton
Gender: Male
Description:
Successful American writer
Role: Jake's good friend
Characteristics:

Motivation: Faith; Support;
Methodology: Deduction; Acceptance;
Evaluation: Accurate; Result;
Purpose: Order; Inertia;

Name: Count Mippipopolous
Gender: Male
Description:
Wise and worldly sophisticate
Role: Count
Characteristics:

Motivation: Logic;
Methodology: Inaction; Reduction;
Evaluation: Process;
Purpose: Ability; Aware;

Name: Francis Clyne
Gender: Female
Description:
Dominant American woman
Role: Robert Cohn's ex-fiancee
Characteristics:

Motivation: Disbelief; Oppose;
Methodology: Possibility; Induction; Nonacceptance;
Evaluation: Hunch; Non-Accurate;
Purpose: Inequity; Speculation;

Name: Mike Campbell
Gender: Male
Description:
Scottish; Alcoholic socialite
Role: Brett's fiance
Characteristics:

Motivation: Hinder;
Methodology: Production; Reevaluation;
Evaluation: Determination; Unending;
Purpose: Chaos; Change;

Name: Montoya
Gender: Male
Description:
Bull fight aficionado
Role: Spanish hotel owner
Characteristics:

Motivation: Conscience; Help;
Methodology: Protection; Evaluation;
Evaluation: Expectation; Ending;
Purpose: Equity; Projection;

Name: Pedro Romero
Gender: Male
Description:
"My God! he's a lovely boy," Brett said. "And how I would love to see him get into those clothes. He must use a shoe-horn" (Hemingway 181).
Role: Bullfighter
Characteristics:

Motivation: Control; Methodology: Proaction; Evaluation: Trust;

Name: Robert Cohn
Gender: Male
Description:
"Cohn, the son of wealthy Jewish parents, had once been the middleweight boxing champion of Princeton, and he never wanted anyone to forget that fact" (Neilson 6346).
Role: American writer
Characteristics:

Motivation: Feeling; Reconsider; Uncontrolled; Avoidance;
Methodology: Potentiality; Reaction;
Evaluation: Unproven; Test;
Purpose: Thought; Perception;

AUDIENCE AND STORY DYNAMICS APPRECIATIONS:

Nature as it relates to Apparent Work:

Jake remains steadfast in his belief that his problem can be solved through work alone. He sees no good reason why he can't simply live with Brett, and he spends most of the novel trying to convince her of this. His efforts are inappropriate, and he fails in this quest.

Essence as it relates to Negative Feel:

The objective characters put their efforts into avoiding the consequence of having to visualize a plan necessary to lead a meaningful way of life.

Tendency as it relates to Unwilling:

Jake is unwilling and unable to come to terms with his and Brett's situation as untenable. The outside force of her change compels him to finally realize that he must accept his impotence and get on with a life without her.

Reach as it relates to Both:

Both men and women will empathize with Jake Barnes as he struggles to come to terms with his impotence and all that it implies.

Resolve as it relates to Steadfast:

Jake remains steadfast in his desire for Brett.

Approach as it relates to Do-er:

Jake first looks for a physical solution when faced with a problem. For example, when Robert Cohn insults him, he throws a punch:

At the Cafe Suizo we had just sat down and ordered Fundador when Robert Cohn came up. 'Where's Brett?' he asked. 'I don't know.' . . . 'I'll make you tell me'--he stepped forward--'You damned pimp.' I swung at him and he ducked

(Hemingway 190-91).

Direction as it relates to Stop:

The audience is waiting for Jake to stop obsessing over Brett.

Mental Sex as it relates to Male:

Jake is goal oriented, as exemplified by his focus on the possibility of winning Brett. He doesn't see the big picture--that is, he can't see that his physical impairment will never change and that she will never be able to accept it. He tries to pull it all together by always being available to her and her needs, and by continually pleading with her to stay with him.

Outcome as it relates to Failure:

The objective characters fail to find meaning and fulfillment in their lives. This failure is particularly well depicted in the character of Lady Brett Ashley. She changes her amoral ways and begins to acquire a conscience, but her potential for peace and contentment will always remain unfulfilled:

It is unclear whether or not Jake's insights and Brett's final moral act give meaning to the lives of these exiles. During their Bayonne fishing trip, Jake's friend Bill Gorton sings a song about "pity and irony," and that seems to be the overall tone of the book, and especially the ending: pity for the personal anguish and aimless searching of these people, but ironic detachment toward characters whose lives and situations are, at best, at least as comical as they are tragic. (Neilson 6350)

Judgment as it relates to Good:

Jake Barnes resolves his personal angst:

"Jake nobly accepts his tragic condition" (Meyers 460). He embodies Hemingway's famous phrase, "Grace under pressure" (Meyers 189).

Work as it relates to Decision:

The decision the objective characters make to go to Pamplona for the festival of the bulls precipitates the action that follows. During the week's frantic festivities, events come to a head. For example, Brett takes up with the young bullfighter, Romero, and ultimately leaves town with him; Robert Cohn, pugnacious and wildly jealous, hits Jake and Mike and beats up Romero.

Limit as it relates to Optionlock:

In the end, most of the objective characters have run out of options. They had been drifting from "pillar to post" attending boring and repetitive social functions. After the frenetic activities of the fiesta, they come to the end of the road and are just as morally empty and disillusioned as ever.

THE OBJECTIVE STORY THROUGHLINE:

Throughline Synopsis:

The characters expend what energy they have (albeit languidly) drifting from bar to bar, from town to country and back again. Cut off from the highly structured and well defined social order of pre World War I, they are all trying to get away from themselves and they are not succeeding. They form a very loose knit "family" of sorts--a highly dysfunctional one at that. Although they are all part of a group, they are, in reality, isolated from each other.

Backstory:

The conclusion of World War I had brought an end to an orderly, predictable, and grounded way of life. All reassuring social values had been irretrievably lost, leaving the characters drained of emotion and suffering from physical and psychological wounds.

"They have all been damaged in some fundamental way by the war . . . and their aimless existence can be traced back to it"

(Neilson, p. 6348).

Domain as it relates to Physics:

The action is fragmented and jerky. All of the characters are constantly hopping from place to place in an aimless pattern--from bar to bar, from France to Spain, in taxis and trains, limousines and cars. No longer willing or able to stay in one place, they are transients seeking escape through frivolous diversions.

Concern as it relates to Understanding:

An example of how the objective characters are concerned with "understanding" is illustrated in the minor character of the count:

I have been around a very great deal. . . . I have seen a lot, too. I have been in seven wars and four revolutions . . . it is because I have lived very much that now I can enjoy everything so well . . . . That is the secret. You must get to know the values

(59-60).

Brett asks: "Doesn't anything ever happen to your values?" The count replies: "No, not anymore" (61). Another example is illustrated by the character of Mike Campbell. He chooses not to learn about finances, because he understands what he can get away with by not doing so. He appreciates that his allowance will continue to come through, and that there will always be an

"easy touch" wherever he goes. There is also a strong implication that he knows Brett will eventually be back: "She never has any money. . . .She gave it all to me when she left"

(230).

Range as it relates to Conditioning:

The objective characters, although appearing aimless, ineffectual, and powerless, in reality are engaging in senseless destruction, and they do violent damage to themselves and others. This is a throwaway society that relentlessly consumes one another and everyone else in their path--and later discards the leftovers. Most of them have readily, although unwillingly, adapted themselves to the postwar climate of permissiveness, the new affluence, and the aimless pursuit of pleasure. (Norton 862)

Counterpoint as it relates to Instinct:

World War I swept away the societal values intrinsic to the objective characters' way of living.

Thematic Conflict as it relates to Conditioning vs. Instinct:

The objective characters' innate instincts, necessary for moving within a rigid social structure, are deadened by WWI, and adapting themselves to the postwar climate only serves to hinder them in the quest for finding meaning in their lives: "As in all of Hemingway's important fictions, The Sun Also Rises is a novel of education--of learning to live with conditions faced" (Neilson 6348).

Problem as it relates to Projection:

As an example of "projection" as the source of the objective story's problems, Robert Cohn goes to Pamplona anticipating taking up with Brett and further developing a relationship. He bases this inference on a brief fling they had had in San Sebastian. The inferences he has made cause problems for the group, illustrated by Mike Campbell's cutting remarks: "Do you think Brett wants you here? Do you think you add to the party?" (Hemingway 177)

Solution as it relates to Speculation:

An example of the solution of "speculation" is the possibility of Robert Cohn returning to his ex-fiancee, Frances Clyne.

Focus as it relates to Inertia:

Most of the objective characters have a tendency to continue to focus on their own petty needs. For example, Mike Campbell continues to drink and overspend:

"What shall we do about the car?" Bill asked.

"Oh, bother the car," Mike said. "Let's just keep the car with us."

"All right," Bill said. "Where shall we go?"

"Let's go to Biarritz and have a drink."

"Old Mike the spender," Bill said.

(Hemingway 229-30)

Direction as it relates to Change:

An example of how the efforts to remedy the problem's symptoms of "inertia" are directed toward "change" is illustrated in the scene where Robert Cohn, desperate to win Brett,

"massacred the poor, bloody bull-fighter:"

"What happened finally?"

It seems the bull-fighter fellow was sitting on the bed. He'd been knocked down about fifteen times, and he wanted to fight some more. Brett held him and wouldn't let him get up. He was weak, but Brett couldn't hold him, and he got up. Then Cohn said he wouldn't hit him again. Said he couldn't do it. Said it would be wicked. . . . You know I don't think Cohn will ever want to knock people about again.

(Hemingway 202-203)

Stipulation as it relates to Learning:

The objective characters have great difficulty in pursuing their goals. Their efforts toward this end are applied in non-productive ways. They go about attempting to acquire the knowledge necessary to achieve their goals in haphazard, unfocused ways, thus they lack the tools to understand their world and continue to drift along in ignorance.

Catalyst as it relates to Instinct:

The catalyst of "instinct" is embodied in the character of Lady Brett Ashley. It is her acting on her sexual impulses, in particular with Robert Cohn and Pedro Romero, that accelerates the objective story.

Inhibitor as it relates to Prediction:

Jake has no way of predicting that by bringing together all his friends in Pamplona conflict would be caused, thereby slowing the objective story's progress.

Goal as it relates to Understanding:

The Sun Also Rises is a short novel that takes place in Paris and Spain after World War I. It concerns a group of American and English expatriates' search for meaning and fulfillment in a world which no longer seems to have any values.

Consequence as it relates to Conceptualizing:

In the objective story, failing to conceptualize how to make sense of their lives is the consequence. Jake must envision a life without Brett, and most of the other characters are unable to visualize, much less implement, any sort of a specific plan for enriching their own lives.

Cost as it relates to Memory:

The memory of World War I and what it did to most of the characters lives causes them to try and forget. In attempting to blot out their recollections, they engage in negative and destructive behaviors and interactions. The price they must pay for these actions is the failure to find meaning and moral values in their lives. As Jake said: "The bill always came" (146).

Dividend as it relates to The Past:

Jake and Brett have reevaluated their pasts. Jake will ultimately benefit from not being able to stay with Brett although he doesn't realize it yet. Late in the game Brett manages to acquire the beginnings of a conscience. She is starting to understand that she's not good for the likes of Jake or Romero but that the bankrupt and alcoholic Mike is someone she can't do damage to because they are already so alike. Romero really won't suffer much from his past experience with Brett, in fact he undoubtedly has gained a new found maturity. As for the count, his is the voice of reason and experience. After a lifetime of searching, he can truly enjoy and value the positive benefits he has acquired. "That is the secret. You must get to know the values" (60).

Requirements as it relates to Learning:

Jake is starting to move beyond merely accepting his impotence, to learning to accept that because of it he can never have Brett. Furthermore, he needs to realize that she would actually be bad for him. Brett knows that she is very damaging to men and is in the early stages of doing something about it. Cohn is in the process of moving beyond self-important "playboy" and hothead nuisance and perhaps might even return to the prosaic Frances. Romero has experienced the passion of a fling with an older sophisticated woman and this affair makes him realize that his first passion, bullfighting, would have suffered irreparably had he stayed with Brett. Mike Campbell chose long ago to keep himself in a forgetful state.

Prerequisites as it relates to Conceiving:

The objective characters need to devise ways to learn how to put meaning back in their lives.

Preconditions as it relates to The Conscious:

As an example of how the "conscious" acts as a tacked on contingency to attaining the goal of "understanding," the gang at Pamplona attempt to make Cohn consider his boorish behavior, so that he'll either change or leave.

Forewarnings as it relates to The Present:

Just before the fiesta, it is quiet in Pamplona, yet Jake has "a feeling of things coming that you could not prevent happening" (146). At this moment "the fiesta exploded" (152). And: "The things that happened could have only happened during a fiesta" (154).

THE SUBJECTIVE STORY THROUGHLINE:

Throughline Synopsis:

Brett and Jake are engaged in a game neither will win. Brett loves Jake, but makes it clear to him that he can never have her because of his permanent sexual impotence and her flagrant promiscuity. Jake desperately keeps trying to convince her that they could make a life together--to no avail.

Backstory:

Jake Barnes had been rendered permanently sexually impotent from wounds sustained during the War. While in a hospital in England, he had met and fallen in love with Brett Ashley, who was a volunteer: "She was a V.A.D. in a hospital I was in during the war" (Hemingway 38).

Domain as it relates to Psychology:

Brett Ashley is a consummate manipulator of everyone--both men and women. Although she loves Jake, (as much as she is able to love anybody), she clearly manipulates him and uses him throughout the story. She plays upon his great love for her (which he allows) to gain sympathy, unconditional love, and emotional support.

Concern as it relates to Conceptualizing:

In the subjective story, Jake's goal is to find fulfillment in a life with Brett. He envisions an idyllic existence with her, but she in turn knows herself so well that she is accurately able to paint a picture of what it would be like, and it would not be good for either of them.

Range as it relates to Sense of Self:

Jake and Brett are each affected by their own poor self image which does not allow for a healthy relationship. Although their negative sense of self is felt thematically throughout the story, an explicit example of its repercussions is found "When Jake presents Brett to Pedro, fully understanding the implications of his act, he violates Montoya's trust. Through his frustrated love for Brett, Pedro is exposed to her corrupting influence. (Neilson 6350)

Counterpoint as it relates to State of Being:

Brett's self image is very close to her state of being, whereas Jake's perception of himself is different from his essential nature. This thematic counterpoint underscores the improbability of their relationship:

Hemingway shows war wounds as the destroyer of love: Jake pursues love without sex and Brett pursues sex without love. The author states:

[ So I ] tried to find out what his problems would be when he was in love with someone who was in love with him and there was nothing that they could do about it

(Meyers 190).

Thematic Conflict as it relates to Sense of Self vs. State of Being:

As an example of how the conflict between "sense of self" and "state of being" is explored in the subjective story, Jake's self image is that of a flawed individual. Brett's self image is one of a man destroyer. Jake's state of being is that of a good, kind man who is always looking out for his friends. Brett's state of being is actually quite close to her sense of self. Brett knows that Jake is a good and kind individual. She also knows that his physical flaw will always stand in the way of their potential happiness. Jake perceives Brett as one who is searching for something in her meaningless affairs, and he feels that if she would only settle down with him, she would find meaning. She, on the other hand, knowing herself so well, refuses to do so because she doesn't want to hurt him.

Problem as it relates to Projection:

It is a problem for Jake and Brett that a future for their relationship is improbable:

"Don't you [Brett] love me?"

"Love you? I simply turn all to jelly when you touch me."

"Isn't there anything we can do about it?"

She was sitting up now. My arm was around her and she was leaning back against me, and we were quite calm. . . .

"And there's not a damn thing we could do," I [Jake] said.

Solution as it relates to Speculation:

The love affair between Jake and Brett is a doomed one, however, they are able to diminish their conflict using "speculation:"

Could they have been happy? Jake says that it's "pretty to think so," knowing full well that sex would only have eased them into a beginning of God-knows-what. Brett suggests that sex would have been terribly good between them and would have served them well but Jake does not accept this conjecture. It's only a game, this speculating, and it is, in a sense, comforting, but it has nothing to do with reality. (Carey 60)

Focus as it relates to Ability:

The principal symptom of the difficulties between Jake and Brett is their inability to have a sexual relationship.

Direction as it relates to Desire:

The direction Jake and Brett take to remedy the difficulties created by their inability to engage in a sexual relationship is to attempt to stifle their mutual desire:

"And there's not a damn thing we could do," I said.

"I don't know," she said. "I don't want to go through that hell again."

"We'd better keep away from each other."

"But, darling, I have to see you." "It isn't all that you know."

"No, but it always gets to be."

(Hemingway 26)

Stipulation as it relates to Conceiving:

The more Brett continues her dalliances, the more inconceivable the possibility of a more meaningful relationship between herself and Jake.

Catalyst as it relates to State of Being:

The conflict between Jake and Brett accelerates when their very different essential natures are tested by her continued affairs.

Inhibitor as it relates to Evidence:

Evidence of Brett's promiscuity impedes Jake and Brett's relationship:

"I haven't seen you since I've been back," Brett said.

"No."

"How are you, Jake?"

"Fine."

Brett looked at me. "I say," she said, "Is Robert Cohn going on this trip?"

"Yes." "Why?"

"Don't you think it will be a bit rough on him?"

"Why should it?"

"Who did you think I went down to San Sebastian with?"

"Congratulations," "I said. . . . "You might take up social service."

"Don't be nasty."

(Hemingway 83-84)

Jake Barnes's THROUGHLINE:

Role:

Journalist

Description:

"Jake Barnes--a modern Abelard--is wounded and impotent yet stoic and admirable" (Meyers 460).

Throughline Synopsis:

Jake Barnes' devastating war wounds have left him grappling with horrific psychological traumas. He is desperately trying to recenter himself and to completely accept this permanent condition. His "stoicism, and natural grace under pressure" (Encyclopedia of Lit. 1079) make him stand out from the other characters, with their myriad flaws and very limited emotional capabilities. It is paradoxical that "His physical flaw makes him a more rounded character than most other Hemingway heroes." (Encyclopedia of Lit. 108). This flaw is also appealing to Brett, because it makes him unattainable in her eyes; thus he can function as her confidant, sounding board, and pimp. He is a safe haven for her. If Jake had been physically whole, Brett would surely have destroyed him. Ironically, his physical condition actually saves him, although he doesn't realize it at the time.

Backstory:

Jake Barnes is an American journalist living in Paris. He has been left permanently impotent by a wound received in WWI.

Domain as it relates to Universe:

Jake Barnes perceives himself to be in an intolerable situation. His physical condition is not going to change, and he sees it as an insurmountable obstacle to his future happiness.

Concern as it relates to The Past:

The past, in particular the physical damage he incurred in WWI, is always at the forefront of Jake's mind.

Range as it relates to Prediction:

An example of Jake's thematic issue of "prediction" is illustrated during the fiesta. Montoya enlists Jake's help in protecting Pedro Romero from Brett:

"Look," he said. "I've just had a message from them [America ambassador] that they want Pedro Romero . . . to come over for coffee to-night after dinner." Montoya stood embarrassed. He wanted me to say something.

"Don't give Romero the message," I said.

"You think so?"

"Absolutely."

Montoya was very pleased. . . . "Look," said Montoya. "People take a boy like that." "They don't know what he's worth." "They don't know what he means." "Any foreigner can flatter him."

(Hemingway 172)

Counterpoint as it relates to Interdiction:

Jake's thematic counterpoint of "interdiction" is explored when Jake unwittingly hinders Romero's future (at Brett's insistence), by introducing Pedro to her:

Just then Montoya came into the room. He started to smile at me, then he saw Pedro Romero with a big glass of cognac in his hand, sitting laughing between me and a woman with bare shoulders, at a table full of drunks. He did not even nod. (Hemingway 177)

Thematic Conflict as it relates to Prediction vs. Interdiction:

The thematic conflict between "prediction" and "interdiction" is illustrated when Jake betrays his own ethics by making it possible for Brett to meet Romero, and then by leaving them completely alone:

When I came back and looked in the cafe, twenty minutes later, Brett and Pedro Romero were gone. The coffee-glasses and our three empty cognac glasses were on the table. (Hemingway 187)

As an aficionado, Jake can foresee that foreigners can corrupt the purity of Pedro Romero, yet because of Jake's love for Brett, he interferes with the bullfighter's destiny by arranging Brett's affair with the young man.

His betrayal and his failure to adhere to his own ethical standards demonstrate that Jake is a flawed and very human male, despite his wound and despite his attempt to remake himself into a gentle stoic

(Carey 61-62).

Problem as it relates to Actuality:

Jake is driven by the reality of his physical impotence:

At one time or another I had probably considered it from most of its various angles, including the one that certain injuries or imperfections are a subject of merriment while remaining quite serious for the person possessing them

(Hemingway 27).

Solution as it relates to Perception:

To resolve Jake's problem of dealing with the harsh reality of his impotence, he must shift his point of view to one with which he is more comfortable.

Focus as it relates to Inertia:

To avoid facing his own problem, Jake focuses on maintaining the status quo among his friends, which causes him difficulties:

His own private tragedy was a war wound that had emasculated him so that he could not marry Lady Brett Ashley . . . .So as not to think too much about himself, Jake spent a lot of time listening to the troubles of his friends and drinking heavily

(Neilson 6346).

Direction as it relates to Change:

Jake directs his efforts toward changing his continued tolerance of his friends. As an example:

In the beginning, Jake feels that Cohn is "nice and awful," but tolerates and pities him as a case of "arrested development." By the end of the book, he thoroughly hated him

(Neilson 6348-9).

Stipulation as it relates to The Present:

Jake judges the degree of his concern of the past based on the current situation and circumstances.

Unique Ability as it relates to Fate:

At this particular point in time, Jake is unable to understand his fate, and because of this, he is unable to help his compatriots with their own search for understanding. Therefore, he fails in solving both the objective and subjective problems.

Critical Flaw as it relates to Senses:

"Senses" undermine Jake Barnes' efforts:

In the novel, Hemingway meant Jake, rather improbably, to have his penis rather than his testicles shot off--so there would be no humiliating hormonal changes and he would still be "capable of all normal feelings as a man but incapable of consummating them" (Meyers 190).

Lady Brett Ashley's THROUGHLINE:

Role:

Idle socialite

Description:

Brett was "damned good looking." She wore a slipover jersey sweater and a tweed skirt, and her hair was brushed back like a boy's. She started all that. She was built with curves like the hull of a racing yacht, and you missed none of it with that wool jersey. (Hemingway 22)

Throughline Synopsis:

Brett Ashley is an alcoholic nymphomaniac. She is admired and pursued by all kinds of men. She ruthlessly and systematically pursues those in whom she has a prurient and financial interest. She keeps retreating to Jake, who offers solace and non-judgmental support. She is bored and world weary and will do anything to distract herself from her senseless world: "I've always done just what I wanted" (Hemingway 184). She has a clarity of vision when it comes to her relationship with Jake--something he has yet to see. He is the only man she can't and will not knowingly destroy, which actually lends her a certain kind of redemptive grace.

Don't we pay for all the things we do, though?. . . When I think of the hell I put chaps through. I'm paying for it all now.

(Hemingway 26).

Backstory:

Brett Ashley's "own true love" had died of dysentery during the war and she had then married the aristocratic Ashley. Mike Campbell gives Jake some insight into Brett's marriage to Ashley:

"Ashley, chap she got the title from . . . ninth baronet . . . always made Brett sleep on the floor . . . when he got really bad, he used to tell her he'd kill her. Always slept with a loaded service revolver . . . She hasn't had an absolutely happy life . . ."

(Hemingway 203)

While serving as a hospital volunteer during the war, Brett had met Jake, who was there recovering from war wounds. He has been irrevocably in love with her ever since. Brett is currently engaged to Mike Campbell while awaiting the finalization of her divorce from Ashley.

Domain as it relates to Mind:

Brett Ashley is unwavering in her determination to keep Jake at physical and emotional arm's length. She will not ever change her mind about the state of their relationship, not even when Jake continually pleads with her. Although it seems to be very difficult for her, she stands fast against his emotional entreaties, knowing in her heart that she would surely destroy him if they did get together.

Concern as it relates to Memory:

Brett's impact on men is such that they cannot forget her.

Range as it relates to Evidence:

Brett's range illustrates the thematic impact of evidence, in that Brett's reputation as a man-eater is substantiated throughout the story.

Counterpoint as it relates to Suspicion:

If a man is attracted to Brett, he puts aside any suspicions that she may destroy him.

Thematic Conflict as it relates to Evidence vs. Suspicion:

"What do you know about Lady Brett Ashley, Jake?"

"She's a drunk," I said. "She's in love with Mike Campbell, and she's going to marry him. He's going to be rich as hell some day."

"I [Robert Cohn] don't believe she would marry anybody she didn't love."

"Well, I said." "She's done it twice."

"I don't believe it."

"Well, I said, don't ask me a lot of fool questions if you don't like the answers."

(Hemingway 38-39)

Problem as it relates to Projection:

Despite Brett's love for Jake, and her numerous affairs, it is probable that she will marry Mike Campbell:

"You are a rotten dancer, Jake. Michael's the best dancer I know". . . . "I'm going to marry him," Brett said. "Funny. I haven't thought about him for a week."

(Hemingway 62)

"I'm going back to Mike . . . he's so damned nice and he's so awful. He's my sort of thing"

(Hemingway 243)

Solution as it relates to Speculation:

Brett does not employ "speculation" to satisfy her personal drive:

Pedro is not destroyed because Brett sends him away before she can do any damage. More than simple altruism is involved in her decision. Life with Pedro held the possibility of wholeness for her--as it held the possibility of dissipation for him. By sending him away rather than risk damaging him, she relinquishes her last chance for health and happiness.

Focus as it relates to Equity:

Brett's focus on being fair to Jake by refusing to lead him on, creates problems for Jake, as he desperately wants a relationship with her.

Direction as it relates to Inequity:

The direction Brett takes, to remedy the difficulties created by her attempts at being fair to Jake, is to throw him off balance in hopes he will finally understand they cannot be together. One way she accomplishes this is by pressuring him to arrange an introduction with a man he knows she would like to take as a lover:

"I say, Jake," Brett called from the next table. "You have deserted us."

"Just temporarily," I said. "We're talking bulls."

. . . "You might introduce your friends," Brett said. She had not stopped looking at Pedro Romero.

(Hemingway 175)

Stipulation as it relates to The Conscious:

The more Jake sidesteps the unpleasant truth Brett is trying to show him, the closer Brett draws to the inevitable conclusion that they cannot be together.

Unique Ability as it relates to Truth:

Brett is truthful about herself and honest about her relationships with other men. Her honesty should compel Jake to face the fact that they will never be together, but he continues to ignore this.

Critical Flaw as it relates to Situation:

The situation of being financially dependent upon others, alcoholic, and promiscuous, undermines Brett's efforts to lead a meaningful existence.

ACT PROGRESSIONS:

The Objective Throughline Act Order:

Objective Story Signpost 1 as it relates to Understanding:

Jake Barnes understands Robert Cohn: [He] "was married to the first girl who was nice to him. . . . [after his divorce] he had been taken in hand by a lady [Frances] . . . . She was very forceful" (5). Frances Clyne believes she understands Robert Cohn even better: "He's decided to go back to New York alone, and be there when his book comes out so when a lot of little chickens like it . . . . You don't know him like I do, Jake . . . . He wants to have a big triumph this fall all by himself" (48). Frances understands Robert's reluctance to marry her: "Why, you see, Robert's always wanted to have a mistress, and if he doesn't marry me, why, then he's had one" (51). After Cohn returns from a successful publishing mission in New York, Jake comments: "I think that was where Frances lost him, because several women were nice to him . . . he realized that he was an attractive quantity to women, and that the fact of a woman caring for him and wanting to live with him was not simply a divine miracle. This changed him so that he was not so pleasant to have around" (8-9).

Objective Story Journey 1 from Understanding to Doing:

Frances Clyne, comprehending that Cohn has rejected her, accepts his money to leave Paris. Brett, understanding perfectly how Jake feels about her, tells Jake only that she is going out of town, but doesn't let him know it is with Robert Cohn.

Objective Story Signpost 2 as it relates to Doing:

Jake goes to the races and dines with friends. When Bill Gorton arrives, they walk and taxi all over Paris, eating and drinking and attending the fights. Mike Campbell comes into town and does a lot of talking and drinking.

Objective Story Journey 2 from Doing to Obtaining:

Robert Cohn goes to San Sebastian with Brett. He refuses to believe ". . . it didn't mean anything" (181). Later, in a jealous rage, he punches out Jake and Mike and beats up Romero. Finally, he realizes he can never have Brett so he leaves for good, taking with him the memory that "he had been away with her . . . . They could not take that away from him" (146). Mike Campbell generally gets drunk, and enjoys taunting Cohn: "Why did you follow Brett around like a poor bloody steer?" (142) Mike knows that she'll eventually come back to him, like she always has. When Pedro Romero firsts meets Brett, he feels that there is something between them. When Cohn hits him after finding out Brett had been in his hotel room, Romero retaliates. In the bull ring, he performs beautifully. "It was only perfect bull-fighting" (217). After the performance he leaves on the train with Brett.

Objective Story Signpost 3 as it relates to Obtaining:

Brett, Bill, Mike, and Cohn all acquire firsthand knowledge of bullfighting. Romero achieves mastery over the bull. Brett wants to possess Romero: "Oh, isn't he lovely, and those green trousers . . . how old do you suppose he is?" (165, 167) Mike Campbell remarks on Brett losing her usual composure: "I believe, you know, that she's falling in love with this bullfighter chap" (168).

Objective Story Journey 3 from Obtaining to Learning:

Robert Cohn leaves Pamplona with the knowledge that he will never be able to possess Brett or anyone else like her. "What do you suppose he'll do?" (222) Mike Campbell hasn't any more money, but he has long ago learned that his allowance will always come through and that there are always "easy touches" wherever he goes. Although he does feel badly that Brett has gone off yet again, he has learned through experience that most likely she will be back. Pedro Romero, having possessed Brett and taken her away, realizes that she is not good for his career. At first he tries to make her over, then agrees to let her go after she herself sees that she is no good for him.

Objective Story Signpost 4 as it relates to Learning:

Mike Campbell chooses not to learn about finances: "One never gets anywhere by discussing finances" (230). Pedro Romero has learned that Brett's type is not good for his bullfighting career and that her sort could never be controlled.

The Subjective Throughline Act Order:

Subjective Story Signpost 1 as it relates to Conceiving:

Jake can't conceive of living without Brett: "You don't have to go" (34). "Couldn't we live together, Brett? Couldn't we just live together?" (55) Brett can't conceive of living with Jake. "I don't think so. I'd just tromper you with everybody. You couldn't stand it" (55).

Subjective Story Journey 1 from Conceiving to Conceptualizing:

Brett and Jake are operating at cross purposes. She has long ago arrived at the idea that she and Jake can't live together, while he feels that he can't live without her. When Brett comes back from San Sebastian, she is hopeful that Jake will ask with whom she had been. Having Jake find out, as painful as it might be, would, in her eyes, eliminate the problem of his continued hope. Jake, on his part, can still envision a future with Brett, so at this stage it is beneficial to him to remain ignorant of the facts.

Subjective Story Signpost 2 as it relates to Conceptualizing:

Jake still does not have any idea that Brett had gone to San Sebastian with Cohn. Brett seems to be hinting at it; it's as if she were asking him to visualize it.

Subjective Story Journey 2 from Conceptualizing to Becoming:

Brett tells Jake that she had been away with Robert Cohn: "Didn't you really know?" "No, I guess I didn't think about it" (84). Later, Jake admits he had become: ". . . blind, unforgivingly jealous of what had happened to him" (99).

Subjective Story Signpost 3 as it relates to Becoming:

Jake observes Brett--seated on a wine cask with a wreath of garlic around her neck--as the personification of a pagan goddess: "They (the peasants) wanted her as an image to dance around" (155). Jake is about to become a pimp for Brett.

Subjective Story Journey 3 from Becoming to Being:

Jake stops identifying with Brett's lover, Romero, reverting back to his role of easy going confidant. He has finally realized that he has no future with Brett other than that of a close friend, and reluctantly accepts this role as permanent. Brett realizes she is bad for Romero and decides to go back to Mike and to marry him. She is beginning to tire of her exhausting role of temptress.

Subjective Story Signpost 4 as it relates to Being:

Jake once again takes on his old familiar role of non-judgmental confidant to Brett, pretending that it's fine that she is going to go back to Mike. But his heavy drinking gives him away, causing Brett to comment: "Don't get drunk, Jake . . . You don't have to" (246).

The Main Character Throughline Act Order:

Main Character Signpost 1 as it relates to The Present:

Jake Barnes is an American journalist living and working in Paris. He is hopelessly in love with Lady Brett Ashley, but because of his impotence, it appears that he can't have her.

Main Character Journey 1 from The Present to The Past:

Jake's current situation is that of a relaxed gentleman journalist-about-town. He has affable (for the most part) interactions with all of his friends and enjoys tennis, dinner parties, dancing, and gossiping with them. But when Brett Ashley comes to town he loses his hard won composure, and emotionally regresses: "Probably I never would have had any trouble if I hadn't run into Brett when they shipped me to England. I suppose she only wanted what she couldn't have" (31).

Main Character Signpost 2 as it relates to The Past:

Jake has been coming to the Hotel Montoya in Pamplona for several years and enjoys renewing his friendship with all of the locals. It is important to note that when Jake goes fishing in Burguete before the fiesta, he forgets his agitated past and simply enjoys living in the moment, relaxing and enjoying simple, healthy pleasures. This also holds true after the fiesta when he goes to San Sebastian for much needed rest and relaxation. Complicated emotional issues are left behind, and he seems to let nature take over and heal his body and spirit.

Main Character Journey 2 from The Past to Progress:

Just as the fiesta moves forward quickly, Jake and Brett's situation escalates. Jake has had to absorb the twin blows of Brett's brief fling with Cohn and her departure with Romero. By the time he sees her again in Madrid he has started to progress to the realization that, like it or not, he will always only be friend to her, albeit a very close and loyal one.

Main Character Signpost 3 as it relates to Progress:

Jake comments on the acceleration of the fiesta's mood. After a calm and relaxing day around town he finishes by saying: "That was the last day before the fiesta" (151). The next morning: . . ."the fiesta exploded" (152). Rockets are set off and pipes and drums keep up a steady beat. Peasants flock into town along with high ranking officials and tourists by the car load. "The Cafe was like a battleship stripped for action" (153). Everything escalates to excess: singing, dancing and drinking. People stay up most of the night, things cost a great deal more and personalities start to get edgy and combative. The pace progresses considerably when the bulls are let loose in the street. A strong element of danger permeates every aspect of fiesta life. Jake begins to get involved in others' volatile personal business. Nothing lets up: ". . . but all day and night the fiesta kept on" (169).

Main Character Journey 3 from Progress to The Future:

After some badly needed rest and relaxation, Jake answers Brett's summons in Madrid. This is the first time he does not plead his case. Although he drinks too much at lunch and Brett knows perfectly well why, he keeps his own counsel, knowing finally that there is no future, (such as he would like it to be), with her.

Main Character Signpost 4 as it relates to The Future:

Jake begins to finally understand that he will have no future with Brett.

The Obstacle Character Throughline Act Order:

Obstacle Character Signpost 1 as it relates to Memory:

Brett Ashley recalls the way she has been treating men: "When I think of the hell I've put chaps through" (26). Referring to Jake's war wound, she comments: "I laughed about it too, myself, once . . . It seemed like a hell of a joke" (26-7). Commenting on their previous frustrating attempt at a physical relationship, she tells Jake: "I don't want to go through that hell again" (26). Brett says of the count: "He remembers everything that happened," and adds: "Who'd want to?" (54)

Obstacle Character Journey 1 from Memory to The Subconscious:

Although Brett recalls with distaste the way she has been treating men, she continues to behave in the same manner towards them, following her basic overwhelming sexual drive.

Obstacle Character Signpost 2 as it relates to The Subconscious:

Brett keeps dropping hints to Jake about San Sebastian. She wants him to ask with whom she went. She tells him that she was a fool to go away and that she didn't have a "frightfully amusing" time. She says that she hardly saw anybody. "I never went out" (75).

Obstacle Character Journey 2 from The Subconscious to The Preconscious:

Brett's strong drives keep her impulsive nature going. Her immediate response to Pedro Romero is one of overwhelming desire over which she has no control. "I'm mad about the Romero boy. I can't help it. I've never been able to help anything . . . I can't stop things" (183).

Obstacle Character Signpost 3 as it relates to The Preconscious:

Brett's impulsive and instinctive response to Pedro Romero is: "Oh, isn't he lovely, and those green trousers. . . . And God, what looks" (165,168). Her immediate response to the horses being gored by the bull is: "I couldn't help looking at them . . .I couldn't look away, though . . .I didn't feel badly at all" (165).

Obstacle Character Journey 3 from The Preconscious to The Conscious:

Brett makes a conscious decision to change her impulsive, thoughtless ways. She demonstrates her newfound sensibility by physically leaving Romero, and emotionally leaving Jake: "I made him [Romero] go. He shouldn't be living with anyone" (241). Although she always has treated Jake with consideration, her parting gift of "We could have had such a damned good time together" (241) is clearly meant to try and make him feel better.

Obstacle Character Signpost 4 as it relates to The Conscious:

Brett is fully aware of how she has treated men in the past. She is conscious of the fact that she might have ruined Romero, had she stayed. She knows she was really too old for him and that his compatriots heartily disapproved of her. Brett is aware that she would be less destructive by staying with Mike, since they are two of a kind. She also knows that Jake is drinking too much because of her, and assures him that he will be all right and survive.

Miscellaneous Other Storytelling Items:

All Concerns:

The overall plot concern of understanding is summarized by the minor but important character of the count: "That is the secret. You must get to know the values" (Hemingway 60). He has searched for meaning all of his life and has found it in understanding the values. Most of the other characters have yet to find the values. Jake is still stuck in the past, unable to get beyond the permanence of his war wound. Yet, he can still envision of future with Brett. Brett, who will always remain in her conquests' memories, is trying to forget herself in drink and meaningless sex. In spite of this, she can clearly and accurately visualize the improbability of any future with Jake.

Master Plot Synopsis:

The Sun Also Rises is a character driven novel which serves as a product of the time in which it was written. The end of World War One marked the end of an orderly, safe, and structured life. The characters in this novel are all searching for meaning in a world cut off from a civilized past. They are all leading empty lives, wandering from place to place, alienated and rootless. Jake Barnes, an American expatriate journalist, narrates the story, which takes place in Paris and Spain. He has a war wound that has rendered him permanently impotent. He is in love with Lady Brett Ashley, an English socialite divorcee. Brett is also a promiscuous alcoholic. Because of these factors, they will never be able to be together. Brett realizes this, and early on tries to make Jake accept it, but he spends most of the novel vainly trying to get her to take him as he is. Robert Cohn is an American writer who has a brief fling with Brett. Mike Campbell is her fiance who is a bankrupt alcoholic. Bill Gorton is an American writer friend of Jake's. Pedro Romero is a young bullfighter whom Brett seduces. These (and other minor characters) join Jake and Brett in their quest for fulfillment. This quest takes them to Pamplona, where the violence of the bullring and frenetic pace of the fiesta exacerbates the already tense interactions of the characters. In the end, everyone goes on their own separate ways, each made a bit wiser though sadder.

Master Theme Synopsis:

One of the main themes of The Sun Also Rises is impotence. Not only Jake's physical impotence, but also the powerlessness of the bull in the face of its imminent cruel death, the characters' barrenness of emotion and lack of sensitivity, their ineffectiveness, alcoholism, and failure to work out some sort of meaningful "personal philosophy" and an "exhausted cynicism" (Cyclopedia 1093). Hemingway shows war wounds as the destroyer of love: Jake pursues love without sex and Brett pursues sex without love. The author states: " [ So I ] tried to find out what his problems would be when he was in love with someone who was in love with him and there was nothing that they could do about it" (Meyers 190). Other themes found under the umbrella of impotence are: lack of family, rootlessness, nihilism, alienation, being from somewhere else and being cut off from the past. There is another major theme which seems to refute Gertrude Stein's famous remark: "You are all a lost generation" (the first of two epigraphs Hemingway used.) It is the cyclical nature of the novel, heralded in the second epigraph (from Ecclesiastics): "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth forever . . . The sun also riseth, and the sun goeth down . . . All the rivers run into the sea . . .unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again." Hemingway emphasized the eternal order of nature and the hope of a new generation. This theme shows up in the beautiful descriptions of the river Seine in Paris, the peaceful unhurried and restorative fishing scenes in Spain and the regenerative and recuperative sleeping, swimming, and eating scenes in San Sebastian. (Meyers 191). The restful pastoral descriptions with their emphasis on purity and health start to give Jake a sense of renewal and a measure of purpose. The romanticism of the down to earth peasant and the steadfast and unchanging Catholic church with its reassuring centuries old rituals also help Jake to start finding his center an to keep him grounded, so that at the end of the novel, even though he loses Brett, the reader able to believe, when she tells him: "You'll be all right" (Hemingway 246), that he will indeed be so.

Subjective Character Synopsis:

Jake Barnes is hopelessly in love with Lady Brett Ashley, but although she loves him as much as she's able to, she makes it clear to him from the start that they can't ever live together. She knows that with his permanent impotence and her boundless sexual needs she would only cuckold him continuously, which she knows would destroy him in the end. Jake is her trusted, non-judgmental confidant to whom she turns for comforting and validation after each brief fling. At one point, he even acts as a procurer when he introduces her to the bullfighter Romero, then adds to the complicity by pointedly leaving them alone. In the end, Brett concludes that she must stop hurting men with her thoughtless actions, and Jake finally, albeit reluctantly, acquiesces to the unhappy truth that they cannot ever live together.

Master Character Synopsis:

Hemingway has set his characters adrift in a world that no longer seems to contain any meaning for them. The story takes place in Paris and Spain during the twenties and follows the characters as they travel constantly and aimlessly, only alighting briefly at different watering holes, then moving on to the next resort. The story is seen through the main character's eyes, Jake Barnes, a thirty-four year old American expatriate journalist living and working in Paris. He had been rendered permanently impotent by a wound sustained in World War One: "I had been kicked in the head early in the game" (193). Jake is very well liked and functions as an agreeable and supportive "caretaker" companion to everyone. He has been deeply in love with Lady Brett Ashley ever since he met her in an English hospital during the War. Brett is a thirty-four year old English socialite, an attractive man-chasing alcoholic who plays havoc with the emotions of every man that she meets. She loves Jake, but has long made it clear to him that theirs will always be a platonic relationship, primarily because of his disability and her insatiable sexual needs. She had had a very unhappy marriage and is currently awaiting a divorce. She is engaged to Mike Campbell, a Scottish socialite who is a bankrupt alcoholic. On the surface, he doesn't seem to mind knowing all about Brett's affairs, although he makes comments now and then to the contrary. Although generally convivial, when Mike is drunk, which is most of the time, he ranges from being simply boorish and repetitive to being outright nasty, especially to Robert Cohn. Cohn is a thirty-four year old American writer who currently resides in Paris. He irritates everyone because he doesn't seem to know the rules of the "social game." He is easily upset by inconsequentials and loses his temper quickly when he perceives that someone has slighted him in the least. Cohn is fascinated by Brett and is convinced, after a brief fling, that not only is he in love with her, but that she must be n love with him as well. He had abruptly and coldly broken off his engagement to Frances Clyne, a strongminded, though rather conventional and colorless American woman. Cohn brutally beats up the young, up and coming, bullfighter Pedro Romero in a jealous rage, after he finds out that Brett had been with him. Bill Gorton is an American writer who is an old friend of Jake's. He rounds out the party and serves as a sounding board and sympathetic companion. The innkeeper Montoya represents the older Spanish bullfight aficionado who strongly disapproves of Brett and her pursuit of the promising Romero. Although Count Mippipopolous appears only briefly, his message carries deep meaning to the troubled and restless characters. He tell them that it took years of searching and living to understand the values. Because he does understand them now, he is able to enjoy his life in the finest, fullest sense. In the beginning of the book Jake tells Cohn: "You can't get away from yourself by moving from one place to another" (11). After the wild, almost surreal events of the fiesta, the characters, exhausted and depleted, begin to realize that this might be very true. They are stoically resigned to their respective futures: Jake knows that he cannot have a life with Brett, she has decided that she won't keep ruining men and that she and Mike, so very alike, should remain together. Cohn has emerged from his humiliating brush with Brett and the others sadder but hopefully wiser, and the purposeful Romero has learned that his first love, bullfighting, is the love of his life. Hemingway forces most of his characters to face a kind of accountability, having them try and accept some responsibility for their actions. In the end, these dysfunctional itinerants, all expatriates in the largest sense, move slowly, inexorably, and separately down the road of life. As Jake had once remarked: "Nobody ever lives their life all the way up except bull-fighters" (10).