The Sun Also Rises

Quote
"Enjoying living was learning to get your money's worth and knowing when you had it."

I feel this quote adequately sums up a lot of attitudes expressed by the characters. The main character Jake Barnes seems to always be treating himself to fine dinners and drinks. This whole novel is an attempt to live live simply and to the fullest. The main characters are constantly having a good time while constantly resolving conflicts with each other. This quote also seems to transcend various generations to what we do today.

Connections

The quote above and part of the tone of the book is related to the pursuit of happiness in our society. This attitude to finding material happiness is a huge part of how our society functions. This solely is what fuels commercialism on various levels. This directly affects how "happy" we are as a society. I feel like the book also gives this problem a solid resolve. While they surrounded themselves with superficial experiences the characters always had friendship to carry them along.

I feel like this novel also ties in very well with some of the short stories we have read throughout the class. I directly related it to A New Leaf by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I feel like the setting at the beginning of A New Leaf was similar to the vibrant Paris displayed in The Sun Also Rises. It also seemed like the characters underwent similar conflicts regarding love and lust.

I feel like this book has a great connection to the time period it represents. I feel like evidence from this includes anti-semitism and regards for different cultures. One of the characters, Robert Cohn, was always categorized as a jew and was portrayed as the antagonist by the other characters. This shows how this was common in that period of history.

Visual

"Nobody ever lives their life all the way up except bull-fighters." This quote and this image show how bull fighting is a key symbol throughout this text. I chose this image to bring out that symbol and to analyse what I thought it meant. I feel that the bull fighting symbolizes a form of struggle. The fact that bull fighters risk their life constantly suggest that the characters consider this to be the only way to live. In order to live perfectly one must act like the bull fighters. They must find the beauty in living like this while being true to oneself. The fact that the main characters only spectated the bull fighters can also symbolize their inability to be like them. In other words they expressed their inability to live life to the fullest extent.

Discussion Questions

-Why can't Brett Ashley and Jake Barnes ever live happily together?
-What became of Robert Cohn?
-What symbolic role does wine play in this book?
-What is the relationship between Jake and Cohn?

-How are they different? More importantly how are they similar?

Reflection
I dis not really understand the deeper meaning of this text. I was not able to capture anything more than a snapshot of a past age. I feel it was still an amusing read due to the intricate character relationships. The quarrels between the characters kept me going and had something to say for the nature of certain types of people.The theme of love and lust runs deep through this novel with a lot of different aspects in between. The setting was well described but I was easily lost as it changed every so often without much warning.Overall this book was pretty good.

The Old Man and The Sea

Quote
"I am only better than him through trickery and he meant me no harm."

This quote sums up the main conflict of this entire novel. Throughout the majority of this book the main character, Santiago, is trying to catch a great fish. His conviction towards capturing the fish is conflicted with his affection towards it. After much work and days at sea, he is finally able to capture this great animal. He reflects upon the creature and shows some slight remorse through this quote. He puts into question his work and more importantly his entire essence.

Connections
This book has many connections that can be made to the world around us and various stages of a mans life. I feel this book has a lot to say about getting old and what that is supposed to mean. For many parts of the book Santiago is resilient and does not give up despite his old age. Towards the end he is not sure of what he has done and is very tired. I believe he is coming to terms with his age and looking at his life in retrospect.

Another connection that can be made is to society's constant exploitation of nature. Santiago feels like he has enough of a reason to kill this marlin he calls his brother. After the creature is slain he starts questioning his true motives and if they are justified or not. This is tied in with society. We have many reasons when we exploit nature for our own benefit. This brings up a key question. When all is slain will we look back at our actions pleasantly or with remorse?

I feel like this book also does a decent job connecting the reader to the setting in Cuba. Although the book wasn't completely filled with native language and political background I think there was enough there to set that place in the readers mind.

Visual

I feel this image does an adequate job representing the magnitude and beauty of the fish captured by the old man. During the process of capturing this great fish, Santiago never really saw it. When the fish took its first jump the old man suddenly realized what he was up against and how amazing it really was. I feel this image shows that moment and really puts on paper what was in my head. The beauty and awe of such an event all incorporated in this picture.

Discussion Questions

-What has shaped Santiago?
-How have his feelings towards the great fish changed over the course of this book?
-What do the sharks symbolize?
-How does the boys attitude change from the beginning to the end of the book?
-Is Santiago Happy?

Reflection
This book is a powerful work of literature. It is short and strong. Hemingway knows how to show the personal sides of his characters in a really effective way. From the innocence and kindness of the the boy to the dedication and uniqueness of the old man. The characters are shown in a manner that will hold the reader throughout the entire book. I liked every bit of this book. Hemingway kept this story emotional and interesting. It was also easily read with a lot of deeper meaning. I would recommend this book to anyone young and old. Its message can be obtained from anyone looking deep into the text. I feel like this book is perfect in length and content. I am just wondering why I have taken so long to read this book.