Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Literature Analysis Notes - The Sun Also Rises

The Sun Also Rises
Ernest Hemmingway

-revolves around the Lost Generation, people between WWI & WWII who had seen such tragic events that they didn't know what to do with their lives and were aimless (1924/25)
-takes place in Paris, France, Spain, as moving and traveling was part of the lifestyle
-told in the first person, through Jake Barnes
-the tone is sad and detached, nothing matters and nothing will go right
-plot: Jake cannot be with Brett Ashley, whom he loves, because he was injured in the war, keeping her from committing to him; she has relations with many of his friends and cheats on her husband; after forcing her lover to leave her, she calls Jake to help her.
-theme: aimlessness, dissatisfaction, identity, love; the characters have fun but never find meaning or contentment in anything that they do
-foreshadowing: the bulls fighting and causing destruction
-symbolism: bull fighting & the bulls, bulls are passionate and have a lot of energy
-characters: jake is insecure and not straightforward; brett is independent but that leads to her downfall; cohn is strong and muscular but also insecure because he is not a veteran and doesn't feel like he fits in.
-imagery: Paris is described as very dark, gloomy, and dull, where as the country is described with bright colors and shows the difference that takes place in Jake as he moves from the city to the country
-the characters don't know what love is, and they aren't experiencing ideal circumstances because they are not teenagers anymore and don't know what happiness is either
-characterization through dialogue: Brett describes all of her adventures as she flits around while Jake is more calm and doesn't say things straight out.

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