The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway)

Set in 1920s France and Spain, The Sun Also Rises follows a group of American expatriates as they party hard (from the Paris night scene to the bull fights of Pamplona) and live in self-indulgence of drink and affairs. Does such a life satisfy?

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This novel has been called the quintessential work of the lost generation, portraying their mentality as they grapple with disillusionment following a horrible world war. I think Hemingway's point is in the atmosphere he conveys:

It was like certain dinners I remember from the war. There was much wine, an ignored tension, and a feeling of things coming that you could not prevent happening. Under the wine I lost the disgusted feeling and was happy. It seemed they were all such nice people.

Elsewhere, one states "It's like a wonderful nightmare." Drown yourself in pleasure to get by. And such is the life of depravity and hopelessness that the characters grapple with in various ways, all portrayed very subtly (this was my introduction to Iceberg theory, Hemingway's idea that writing should be sparse and imply but not overtly state).

So what did I think? I'm on the fence. It was an intriguing writing style to be sure, and there is some value here in the message. But the novel shows only the struggle, never the solution. Maybe it doesn't need to, so long as the reader realizes the futility therein and uses this as a cautionary tale.

Rating: B-