Questions you might want to respond to for today:
- Discuss a scene that has implied (not explicity-stated) sexual connotations. I’d suggest either the scene in which we see Brett for the very first time, when she appears at the dance-club with a group of young men (Ch. 3, pp. 28-31) or else the scene in which the group attends the bullfight and witnesses the steer get gored, followed by Mike repeatedly using the term “steer” as an insult for Robert Cohn (Ch. 13, pp. 143-146). What do you think is the implicit sexual content in the scene you chose to talk about? How does this content relate to larger issues we’ve been discussing in the novel?
- Talk about nature and the natural world in the novel. You might look at the second epigraph to the novel and the title of the book. What do they suggest? You might think about the Hemingway biography and what nature meant to him in real life. What about the fishing scene at Burguete? Are Jake and Bill able to have a more authentic relationship in the world of nature? What about Spain vs. France? Is one presented as more a part of nature, more natural than the other?
- Discuss allusions to conventional religion and how it’s treated in the book. You might look at the “Pilgrims” on the train–Catholics who are going to Lourdes, among other places. You might look at Bill’s mock sermons during the fishing scenes. What about the fact that Jake himself is a Catholic, though a self-professed “rotten one” (Ch. 10, pp. 102-103; Ch. 12, pp. 128-129)?
- What does it mean to be an “aficionado” (Ch. 13, pp. 136-137)? Why is this term important to Jake, important in the book in general? How does Montoya, the hotel owner, seem to respond to Jake’s friends?
- Continue to explore the theme of paying, especially as Jake lays it out on p. 152 (beginning of Ch. 14).
Response to “What do you think is the implicit sexual content in the scene you chose to talk about? How does this content relate to larger issues we’ve been discussing in the novel?”
In chapter 13, pages 145-147, Mike is extremely tight after drinking loads with Bill, and starts picking at Robert Cohn. It starts when Cohn says “It’s no life being a steer,” (pp. 145), and then Mike retorts with “I would have thought you’d loved being a steer.” A steer is a young, male bull who is chosen to be castrated early in life and is raised solely for the beef. When Cohn starts with “It’s no life…,” he’s implying that a life without sex would be no way to live. Of course, this is quite an interesting statement when you consider the fact that Jake is similar to a steer, in the sense that his ability to have sex was also taken away by some kind of physical injury. However, when Mike responds to Cohn’s statement about steers, he gets started on a rant about how Cohn would seem to love it because they ‘live a quiet life’, ‘never say anything and…always hanging about’. Mike starts to poke at the now angry bear that is Robert Cohn. Why are you always hanging around Brett like a steer? (Why are you always around just waiting for her to sleep with you?) He even goes so far as to bluntly say ‘What if Brett did sleep with you? She’s slept with a lot better people than you.’
The subtext of this conversation is simply Mike stating that Robert is unwanted by Brett like an unfuckable*, young bull. Bluntly calling him out for being unwanted in San Sebastian the week prior, and how he is so often quiet and boring that he doesn’t get himself invited to parties with Mike and Brett. After Cohn gets upset and storms away, Brett scolds Mike for his behavior, but doesn’t disagree with what he is saying. I find this interesting because I have a pretty good hunch that Brett will end up with Cohn. After all, chapters 13 and 14 pushed the idea of the love triangle between Brett, Cohn, and Jake even further. In many scenes, Hemingway sticks the 3 together, or alone together, and also accentuates Jake’s agony for Brett on pages 151-153, when he is drunk and able to hear her with Cohn and Mike. This allowed for drunk Jake to claim “To hell with you, Brett Ashley” (page 152).
*pardon my use of language, but I couldn’t think of another word that got my point across as well as that one
There have been several scenes in the book that have hinted toward unsaid sexual connotations of others and of Jake. An example of this is in Chapter three when we first meet Brett Ashley as she enters a bar with a group of rowdy men. These men, from Jake’s perspective are described as amusing and that ‘you should be tolerant of them,’ and how one man danced ‘big-hippily,’ as in to say sexual or feminine. We assume that these men that Brett are with are gay or queer, although it is never stated. This on the surface seems homophobic and bitter of Jake, especially since Brett did not come into the bar with a group of straight men and instead with men that she ‘could drink in such safety with.’ He describes his feelings toward them as anger, and it is not until the next chapter when we come to realize why. His injury from the war has prevented him from having sex, which (to most men) is a symbol of masculinity and manhood. By returning from a war that was a promise of manhood for men, only to be stripped of an act that men and women often use to form deeper relationships has made Jake very insecure. His distaste for these men is rooted in his own insecurity of not being able to do what these men can; while they are stereotypically seen as ‘feminine,’ they still have this bit of masculinity that Jake no longer has.
Religion in The Sun Also Rises is discussed in similarly to the other major themes of the book— never in a straightforward way, instead having the reader rely on scattered bits of dialogue or brief insights into Jake’s thoughts. The first connection I noticed between Jake and religion is Brett’s comment: “‘You’ve a hell of a biblical name, Jake’” (page 29). The name Jacob in Hebrew means “to follow” or “to be behind,” which has much more meaning for me now that I’ve read farther into the book. Due to his war injury, he of course feels “behind” in in so many senses: his circle of friends, his romantic life with Brett (or lack thereof), his masculinity, and as the book goes on, it’s revealed that even in a religious sense he is likely feeling behind and blindly following. Typically I don’t read deeply into every name in a book, but since it was specifically brought up in the dialogue I do also think its interesting that Robert’s last name is Cohn, from the Hebrew “kohen.” I don’t know much about the origin of the surname but I do know that a kohen was a high ranking priest in Judaism. Given the context of Jake being constantly jealous of Cohn’s masculinity, I don’t think that this contrast of names that essentially mean leader and follower would have been a coincidence or accident on Hemingway’s part. I love this kind of information that’s given so early in the book, but can only be fully appreciated later in the story.
As we talked about in class, the post-war “‘lost generation’” couldn’t always rely on pre-war religious beliefs to explain the world or their role in it, both because of the explosion of scientific discoveries and because of the trauma many experienced due to war. While on a train trying to order a meal, Jake becomes frustrated when he sees that a large group of Catholics aboard has been able to eat before him. Another passenger says to him, “‘It certainly shows you the power of the Catholic church. It’s a pity you boys ain’t Catholics. You could get a meal, then, all right’” (page 93). Jake replies by telling the man that he is, in fact, Catholic, which is why he’s “‘so sore.’” It’s an implication that’s entirely unintentional by the character but I believe intentional by the author: the Catholic church has power, and therefore Jake as a Catholic should as well. Clearly, though, he doesn’t. Later when praying, Jake thinks to himself that catholicism is a “grand religion,” but that he feels he is a “rotten Catholic” and wishes he “felt religious” (page 103). All he can do, in his mind, is hope that he spontaneously feels religious “the next time” he goes to church— attempts at bettering himself are not an option, he remarks that there is “nothing [he] could do about it.” Here we have our first deep look into his feelings on the topic, and we’re immediately given this same sense that something grand and powerful is beyond his grasp. It’s a trinity of powerlessness: First, Catholicism is itself a religion where Jake is not the highest power, he is simply a “follower;” secondly, he does not feel himself to be an adequate follower; third, he does not see himself as capable or powerful enough to even attempt being a better follower. In ever way his religion reminds him of his feelings of emasculation and of the general sense of loss of faith and direction after the war.
Nature and the natural world are pressing matters that come up time and time again over the course of the novel The Sun Also Rises. It is even strikingly apparent in the title itself. From the start, we as readers see that the setting is very much missing any notions of the natural world or nature, rather the characters are surrounded by urban places such as cafes, hotels, and expensive restaurants. What I noticed in particular was the effect the landscape had on the characters and their inner conflicts. The landscape that seemed most important has been the presence of light or darkness. Take Jake for instance, he says,“It is awfully easy to be hard-boiled about everything in the daytime, but at night is another thing,” (Chapter 4). This gives us insight into the importance of the presence of light for this story. His emotions are heightened at the loss of light as it seems it is all he can focus on when he is in these urban settings. But, when Jake sets foot into nature, and truly immerses himself in the natural world he focuses on the presence of light. He says, “We walked on the road between the thick trunks of the old beeches and the sunlight came through the leaves in light patches on the grass” (122). This detail is so opposite to the previous acknowledgments of light that it leads me to believe, due to the presence of the natural world, Jake is beginning to see the world around him in a different way. Going back to the title, The Sun Also Rises, we seem to be playing with a similar notion, that despite any darkness the sun will also rise.