The Sun Also Rises
is a paragon of artistic excellence.
Compared to the current style of literature and the ever increasing
popularity of Young Adult Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Hemingway’s plot is quite simplistic;
but it is in that simplicity and the words unspoken that kept me enthralled.
Obviously there have been countless interpretations of this
piece, which I do not want to address.
For me, this work illustrates an attempt to recover a generation
lost. The protagonist, Jake Barnes, is the
paradigm of a broken man, and his group of friends also follows that same suit. Nevertheless, Jake is willing to risk
everything to support and protect them.
Moreover, he is their moral compass, and often, his friends take
advantage of his more altruistic qualities as he gives them—although somewhat
resentfully. For me, though, Hemingway
describes a “lost generation” on the mend—internally finding themselves once
again; and as the sun sets and the day ends, it will also rise again, allowing
that journey to commence once more.
