Hemingway The Sun Also Rises English 11 Honors

1. One of Hemingway's original titles for the book was The Lost Generation. In what ways are the
people in the novel lost? In what ways has expatriate life in Paris corrupted the characters?

The people are in the novel are in some ways, “lost, as they seem to have no purpose. For example, Jake
Barnes just seems to be going through the motions as he seems to repeat going to his job during the day
and then drinks away his worries during the night. The expatriate life in Paris corrupted the characters
because all they mostly do is drink and party with no purpose, rather than doing something more
intentional.

2. What do we learn about Jake's insecurities and conceptions of masculinity from his attitudes
towards Robert Cohn and the gays at the dance club?

Jake’s insecurities are hidden in his conversations rather than him clearly expressing them. Jake’s
contempt seems to arise partly from Cohn’s feminized status. He characterizes Cohn as timid and easily
controlled by a strong woman like Frances. This emphasis on Cohn’s lack of masculinity can be seen as a
reflection of Jake’s own insecurities about his manhood. In addition, Jake’s, “disgust,” of the gays at the
dance club who were with Brett shows that Jake dislikes the gays because he thinks that they are,
“unmanly,” which shows that he worries about his own manliness.

3. Why do you think Jake picks up Georgette? What do you think it takes to be "one of us"?

I think Jake picks up Georgette because he wants to be with someone in order to make up for his
loneliness and aimlessness. To be one of them, you almost must be purposeless. Because they are
known as the, “Lost Generation,” they must all have a sense of no purpose.

4. Why do you think Harvey Stone and Frances give Cohn such a hard time? Why is Frances going
to England?

Harvey Stone and Frances give Cohn such a hard time because Harvey and Cohn tend to disagree on
many different things, and Harvey frequently insults Cohn because of his religion of Judaism. Frances
also gets made at Cohn for going back to New York and losing sight of Frances as a woman as Cohn feels
that he is also desired by other women.

5. Compare / contrast Jake's relationship to Brett with Cohn's relationship to Frances. (For
example, compare how each man is treated by the women. Why do you think the women act as
they do in these relationships?)

Jake’s relationship with Brett is different from Cohn’s relationship with Frances in that Cohn’s
relationship is more dried out and not as intense as it was once before. This is because Cohn gained a
different view of Frances when he returned to New York because of his book and found out that he
could date different women back in America. Frances gets annoyed at Cohn frequently because of this.
Jake’s relationship with Brett is more complicated as he is in love with Brett, but Brett doesn’t wasn’t to
be locked down by one partner so she different men often. It’s bittersweet for Jake because sometimes
he has to help Brett in finding the man that she wanted to talk with that day.
 6. Compare / contrast Jake and Cohn. How does the fact that Jake went to war and Cohn did not
make them different from each other? In what ways are they like / unlike the rest of their
friends? In what ways are they both outsiders?

Cohn is the hero's foil, the character who will serve to highlight the protagonist's strengths and
weaknesses by contrast. According to Jake, at least, Cohn is insecure and self-conscious. Cohn is voluble
and naive. He is a kind of overgrown child, he even bursts into tears more than once. He also allows
himself to be controlled by women, as showed by Brett. Cohn is a living reminder to Jake of what he
used to be, before the war ruined everything. Ultimately, Jake wants to hurt Cohn so that Cohn will no
longer be unwounded.

7. In what ways is Count Mippipopolous like / unlike Jake and his friends? What do you think the
count means by "values"? Why do you think Brett says he's "dead"? What sort of "values" (does
Jake have? Do you think he sticks to them?

Count MIppipopolous is like Jake and his friends because he acts like the people who are apart of the
“Lost Generation.” He has been through many different wars and has witnessed much violence, but the
Count also loves to seek pleasure. However, Jake and his friends want to forget the war by drinking
themselves into oblivion. On the contrary, the count delights in food, wine, and spending time with
friends. Like Jake and his friends, he also likes Brett, but he doesn’t let this desire torment him and cause
disaster like it does for Jake and his friends. The Count is very similar to Jake and his friends, he just
doesn’t become victim of their, “disillusioned cynicism.” Brett says the count is dead because the count
is satisfied with his situation in life, which shows Brett’s insecurity of her being dissatisfied with her life
now.

8. Comment on some implications of the word "blind" in the text. Do you think Jake prays for the
right things in Pamplona)? What do you think is so "nice" and so "awful" about Robert Cohn?

Some implications of the word “blind” are that the word is used to describe how people were blinded,
and also someone who cannot notice what is happening around them. No, Jake doesn’t pray for the
right things in Pamplona. He starts off praying for himself and the bullfighters, then eventually thinks
about money and he wanders and then ends up thinking about how is a bad Catholic. What is so “nice”
about Cohn is that he is a very nice person and what is so “awful” about Cohn is that he is not very
likable.

9. Why do you think Cohn is verbally abused so often in the novel? Is it because he is Jewish? (See
pp. 101-02, 104, 145-48, 181.) Why do you think Mike attacks Cohn but not Jake, whom Brett
actually loves? Why do you think Cohn accepts so much abuse? Why does he finally lash out?

Cohn is verbally abused in the novel because many people do not like him, and this could be because of
the fact that he is Jewish. Many people are against Jews and this could be the reason for some of this
hate. Mike attacks Cohn but not Jake because Mike could be anti-semitic. Cohn accepts so much abuse
because he may not be able to fight back against his abuser. In addition, he is looked down upon by the
likes of Harvey Stone and sometimes Jake because they feel that he is controlled by women, as seen by
when he follows around Brett like a dog. He finally lashed out because he couldn’t take any more of that
abuse from Mike and the other people who abuse him. He also didn’t go to war and he doesn’t put up
on some cues in that he wasn’t wanted in their group.
 10. Bill tells Jake that "Sex explains it all.” To what extent is Bill's statement true of the novel The
Sun Also Rises? In what ways are Brett, Jake and Cohn alike?

Bill’s statement is true because it governs all relationships especially Jake and Brett’s relationship. Jake
cannot have sex with Brett and therefore Brett will not have a relationship with Jake because she cannot
deal with the pain of having to cheat on Jake. Brett, Jake, and Cohn are all alike because they all get
abused by a number of people and are then controlled by the lust they have over women. Their feud
over Brett is what causes the final fight between the friends.

11. Do you find Lady Brett Ashley to be a sympathetic character? Do you think she is a positive
female role model? In what ways is her treatment of her male friends justified or unjustified?
What do you Jake means when he says, "the woman pays and pays and pays"?

I do not think that Brett is a sympathetic character because she uses men and drops them when she
likes, not particularly caring about their feelings, except for maybe Jake. I think she is a bad female role
model because I don’t think all women should be in a relationship with multiple guys, and vice versa.
Her treatment of males is unjustified because she let a bad experience control her entire love life. When
Jake says, “the woman pays and pays and pays,” he means that Brett is indebted to him because of all
she does. According to Jake, this applies to every other woman in the novel.

12. Read closely and analyze one of the longer passages in which Hemingway describes bulls or
bullfighting. What sort of language does Hemingway use? Does the passage have symbolic
possibilities? If the bullfighting passages do not advance the plot, how do they function to
develop themes and motifs?

Hemingway uses language about how bullfighting is a metaphor for war and the nature of masculinity. It
represents the ideals of war that were destroyed by the mechanized war of World War I. Bullfighting
also represents the dangers of sex and love, they are described as seductions and they always end in
destruction. Some themes are that bullfights are battles of skill, or of two beings coming face to face in
search of victory. This helps to advance the plot into more direction.

13. Analyze the novel in the context of World War I. How does the experience of war shape the
characters and their behavior? Examine the differences between the veterans, like Jake and Bill,
and the nonveterans, like Cohn and Romero.

The experience of war shaped Jake and his friends (except for Cohn) by removing their idealism. It was
destroyed during the war and also their spirits were forever changed due to the horrors of it. Cohn
however does not feel this way because he did not participate in the war effort. The differences
between the veterans, Jake and Bill, and the nonveterans, Cohn and Romero, are that Jake and Bill were
not destroyed by the horrors of war and now they have a much darker look on life after supporting the
war effort.

14. Discuss the problem of communication in the novel. Why is it so difficult for the characters to
speak frankly and honestly? In what circumstances is it possible for them to speak openly? Are
there any characters who say exactly what is on their mind? If so, how are these characters
similar to each other?
Communication is a problem in the novel because the characters are unable to be direct and honest
with each other. It is so difficult for them to speak honestly because once they saw the horrors of war,
they were unable to communicate with each other about it and this started the inability to
communicate properly. However, they are able to talk about it only in a very humorous fashion. There
are no characters that can say what is on their mind.