Book Review: "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises," published in 1926, has been continuously in print for over nine decades. That, in itself, is a strong testament to any novel. I cannot say exactly how many times I have read this work, but I am going to guess at five readings. My lovely wife brought the book home from the library and, as it was just sitting there, I picked it up and read it. Why?

It has become fashionable, in the years following his death by suicide, to malign Hemingway's work. There are many reasons for this, most of which do not have much to do with his writing. A cult of personality has grown up around Hemingway's life, a cult of machismo, that of the hunter, the fighter, the fisherman, the man of many wives. Having read a good bit about his life, I believe that this cult of personality played a part in his undoing. He was a complicated public figure, a famous American novelist, a man of braggadocio and bluster. Infantilized by his mother, he overcompensating for that upbringing by embracing a facade of manliness that he would become famous for. But that is the writer, not the writing. Let us set that aside.

Hemingway subscribed to the "Iceberg Theory" of composing a novel. Using spare, simple prose, he told the tip of the tale, leaving the reader to plumb the depths of what lay beneath his stark words. It may not seem like a huge revelation now, but compare Hemingway's work to some of his contemporaries: Theodore Dreiser, Ford Madox Ford, John Dos Passos, all great writers who wrote deeply complex novels. "The Sun Also Rises," seems almost a novella by comparison. Yet below the deceptively simple descriptions, and direct dialogue, lies the bulk of the story. Hemingway's writing style has had a significant impact on modern novels. Because of that impact, as well as his impressive body of work, he remains an important literary figure.

The novel was written in late 1925 and early 1926, following Hemingway's third trip to Pamplona, Spain. If the reader knows about the 'Running of the Bulls' in Pamplona, the chances are it is because of Hemingway. The characters in the novel are based on real persons, those that made up the party of that third journey. The novel consists of three books: Paris, traveling in Spain and the Festival of San Fermin, and a short third book that is the aftermath and conclusion.

On the surface, this is a novel of flawed characters, desperate friendships, and misplaced longing for love. Only look a bit deeper, and there is so much more. Jake Barnes, the narrator, has been wounded in World War One. The reader is never told the exact nature of his wounds, but he has been rendered impotent. Barnes' wound becomes an exploration of masculinity, and an example of the Iceberg Theory. Much later in the novel, there are some very subtle (and masterful) hints at what may have happened to Barnes. It is there, sketched as a simple line drawing, yet an integral part of the story.

The beautiful and feckless Lady Ashley, Brett, represents not only the love interest of several characters, but the emerging modern image of female sexuality in the 20th Century. She does not come off well in the process, but none of the characters do. And so it goes, from Robert Cohen to Mike Campbell, both besotted with Brett, both towed along in the building madness of the fiesta.

The novel spills through the streets and cafés of Paris, giving the reader a view of a bygone era. The journey continues into the Basque country of Spain, a quiet fishing trip in a land untouched by the civil war looming in the next decade. Then all of the ill-fated characters come together for the fiesta, a group of disparate expatriates standing out against a backdrop of traditional Spanish culture. The backdrop is portrayed as pure and good, the characters certainly not. As the Fiesta ends, the world comes crashing in, leading to the aftermath.

"The Sun Also Rises" is a deceptively simple novel. The characters haunt cafés and bars, talk, argue, drink an extraordinary amount of alcohol, and then move on. Read through quickly, it is an enjoyable story, a succinct slice of a time and a culture. Taken slowly, however, and a much larger set of themes emerge, just visible beneath the surface. It is well worth the reader's time to take the novel slowly. Sexuality, masculinity, honor, love and loss, values and friendship, these are the themes that are waiting to be discovered.

I would add a note of caution. The novel is a product of the time in which it was written. There are derogatory terms used to describe one of the characters, who is Jewish. There are also racial terms used to refer to one of the minor characters. Some readers may find them offensive. In no way do I endorse any racial labels, or defend Hemingway's use of them. I simple point out that they exist in the novel.

In conclusion, if you have read Hemingway, but not "The Sun Also Rises," I highly recommend the novel. If you have managed to live your life without reading Hemingway, then this is a good place to start. If you like what you read, I would suggest "For Whom the Bell Tolls" as Hemingway's other excellent early novel, along with some of his short stories, particularly the Nick Drake stories. As always, Happy Reading!

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