"The Sun Also Rises" is a good title
The
very first thing we discussed about The Sun Also Rises was the meaning
of the short excerpt from Ecclesiastes. If I’m going to be completely
honest I was not able to finish all of chapters 1-3 before class and I think the
confusion added to my experience. The various ways the excerpt could be
interpreted made me very curious about what the novel was going to be about and
how the title drop was going to be incorporated.
While
reading the novel I didn’t find myself having any “ah ha” moments where I
suddenly realized the deep and profound meaning of The Sun Also Rises. The
whole plot and development of characters in The Sun Also Rises is very
subtle and hard to notice in the moment. Character development was especially subtle
throughout the novel, and even after you finish the book and think back they
still seem vaguely the same. Brett, for example, starts the novel in Jake’s
arms telling him, “‘Oh, darling, I’ve been so miserable,’” and ends the novel
in the same exact way (Hemingway 10). Or even if a character does go through
some series of events none of it seems to matter. Cohn, for example, starts
the novel mingling with a lady who he can’t seem to get rid of, goes on
vacation with Brett, gets tossed away by her, and ends the novel drowning in
guilt about hurting so many people. Even after going through all these intense events
Cohn still gives off the same vibes as the Cohn he was at the beginning of the
novel. Many of the characters and elements of the story seem to move in one
giant “meaningless” circle.
It
wasn’t until I read the last chapter of the book that the title of the book
really started to make sense. When I finished the book I thought back to the
excerpt we analyzed the first day we started the book and realized just how
fitting of a title it was. The excerpt, talking about how everything was
pointless and that at the end of the day the “sun also rises”, was a pretty
accurate description of how things worked out for almost all the characters in
the novel. I think this is also the realization that Jake comes to at the end
of the novel as well. At the beginning of the novel every time he thought of Brett
it made him upset and distraught, but at the end of the novel he was able to
come to peace with their “ending”. I think Jake realized too that at the end of
the day nothing they tried was going to work and that this was the extent of
their relationship and as far as the sun would rise.
I agree that the title was really good, though I didn't understand it until the end of the book. Brett and Jake's last car ride definitely reflected their first one, despite all that happened. I think the main (and only) difference was that they had finally accepted that they couldn't be together. However, they were the similar enough that at the end of the book. Jake still ran to help Brett. I think we also see this lack of change when the other characters exit the novel too.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you call it a pointless cycle. I suppose in one way it is true, since at the end of the day everything seems to end as it began. However, although Brett and Cohn seem to undergo minor character development, ending up exactly as they started, Jake's new understanding of his relationship with Brett marks a break in that cycle. However, we don't get to see if he manages to really break free, and pursue a life that fulfills him more.
ReplyDeleteI agree that eventually in the book the title starts to makes sense and goes with the epilogue. I also didn't understand the title fully until the end of the book. Your right about the meaningless actions and how it seems to stay the same in the attitudes of the characters. Brett seems to stay the same the end of the book and there is no revival moment where she stops drinking or wanting to indulge in a sexual life. Cohn seems the same annoying fella to everyone else even at the end of the book. The part that does change is Jake's acceptance of the relationship and knowing that there will be nothing more. The sun also rises, I think is saying to Jake to not dwell on it because life keeps on moving and new days come. I think that what you said in your post is really good!
ReplyDeleteI think my initial reaction of the title was that it was going to act as a sort of theme to the book. Granted I thought it would be a much more positive book than it ended up being. However, the title still does make sense because the run rising is such a normal thing that is a part of life and it just happens. I think the sun rising is also often-times something we take for granted. In a similar way to how Brett kind of takes Jake for granted.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the title represents this endless cycle that Jake is caught in. Until the end of the novel, Jake is still running to Brett when she asks for him. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYou make a great point! I think the title only really made sense to me after finishing the novel. Specifically, the choice to end the book with Brett and Jake in a car together similar to one of the beginning scenes where we are introduced to Brett. This scene brought the whole book full circle to me and showed me the ways the characters had changed over the course of the story, but also how they stayed the same. It reminded me of the cycle of the sun rising and setting, different yet very similar processes.
ReplyDelete