the dark knight ris

THESUNALSORISESAnalysis

ErnestHemingway

Themes

Themesarethefundamentalandoftenuniversalideaxploredinaliterarywork.

TheAimlessnessoftheLostGeneration

WorldWarIundercuttraditionalnotionsofmorality,faith,erableto

relyonthetraditionalbeliefsthatgavelifemeaning,themenandwomenwhoexperiencedthe

warbecamepsychologicallyandmorallylost,andtheywanderedaimlesslyinaworldthat

,Brett,andtheiracquaintancesgivedramaticlifetothissituation.

Becautheynolongerbelieveinanything,lltheirtimewith

inconquentialandescapistactivities,suchasdrinking,dancing,anddebauchery.

ItisimportanttonotethatHemingwayneverexplicitlystatesthatJakeandhisfriends’

livesareaimless,d,heimpliestheideas

throughhisportrayalofthecharacters’tandinstarkcontrast

tothecharacters’dhisfriends’constantcarousingdoesnotmakethem

ten,,itallowsthem

ghtheyspendnearlyalloftheirtime

partyinginonewayoranother,,theirdrinkingand

dancingisjustafutiledistraction,apurpolessactivitycharacteristicofawandering,aimless

life.

MaleIncurity

war

idealofthebrave,stoicsoldierhadlittlerelevanceinthecontextofbrutaltrenchwarfarethat

rswereforcedtosithuddledtogetherastheenemybombarded

ionalnotionsofwhatit

bodiesthecultural

rendershismanhood(thatis,hispenis)ies

theburdenoffeelingthatheis“lessofaman”otescapeanagging

nofinadequacy,whichisonlycompoundedbyBrett’srefusaltoenterintoarelationship

withhim.

WhileJake’sconditionisthemostexplicitexampleofweakenedmasculinityinthenovel,

,

Hemingwaydoesnotstatethisfactdirectly,butrathershowsitinthewayJakeandhisveteran

rgetCohninparticularforabuwhentheyehimengagingin

“unmanly”pewiththeirfearsofbeingweak

wayfurtherprentsthis

ways,sheismore“manly”thanthemeninthebook.

Shereferstoherlfasa“chap,”shehasashort,masculinehaircutandamasculinename,and

,sheembodiestraditionallymasculinecharacteristics,while

Jake,Mike,andBillaretovaryingdegreesuncertainoftheirmasculinity.

TheDestructivenessofSex

jealousy,for

example,leadsCohntoviolatehiscodeofethicsandattackJake,Mike,andRomero.

Furthermore,thedesireforxpreventsBrettfromenteringintoarelationshipwithJake,

,xunderminesbothCohn’shonorandJakeandBrett’slove.

liberatedwoman,

haefree

t,

Hemingwaymaybeexpressinghisownanxietiesaboutstrong,xuallyindependentwomen.

Motifs

Motifsarerecurringstructures,contrasts,orliterarydevicesthatcanhelptodevelopand

informthetext’smajorthemes.

TheFailureofCommunication

detrue

ghthelegacyofthewartormentsthemall,theyare

ntalkaboutthewaronlyinanexcessively

pleofthelatteroccurswhenGeorgetteandJake

havedinner,andJakenarratesthattheywouldprobablyhavegoneontoagreethatthewar

“wouldhavebeenbetteravoided”entsof

honest,genuinecommunicationgenerallyarionlywhenthecharactersarefeelingtheirworst.

Conquently,etttormentsJakeespecially

harshly,forinstance,rly,when

Mikeishopelesslydrunk,sionsoftrue

affection,ontheotherhand,arelimitedalmostexclusivelytoJakeandBill’sfishingtrip.

ExcessiveDrinking

NearlyallofJake’ertheyhappentobe,theydrink,

,nnessallows

Jakeandhiway

lfrequentlybringsouttheworst

inthecharacters,shimlftobeanasty,violentmanwhenheis

btly,Hemingwayalsoimpliesthatdrunkennessonlywornsthementaland

runkallowsthemtoavoid

confrontr,

ontextofJakeandBill’sfishing

trip,forinstance,itcanbearelaxing,friendship-building,evenhealthyactivity.

FalFriendships

thefriendshipsinthe

tance,Jakemeetsabicycleteammanager,andthetwo

joyafriendlyconversationandmakeplanstomeetthenext

,however,sleepsthroughtheirmeeting,havingnoregardforthefactthathewill

dCohndemonstrateanother,stilldarkertypeoffalfriendship.

AlthoughCohngenuinelylikesJake,JakemustoftenmaskoutrightantagonismtowardCohn,an

antagonismthatincreasdramaticallyalongwithJake’sunspokenjealousyofCohnoverhis

oint,abilitytoformgenuine

connectionswithotherpeopleisanaspectoftheaimlesswanderingthatcharacterizesJake’s

ally,Hemingway

suggestst

peacetimeitprovesfarmoredifficultforthecharacterstodoso.

Symbols

Symbolsareobjects,characters,figures,orcolorsudtoreprentabstractideasor

concepts.

Bullfighting

Thebull

multiplepossibleinterpretationsofthepassagesspeaktothedepthandcomplexityofthetext.

Forexample,nearlyeveryepisodeinvolvingbullsorbullfightingparallelsanepisodethateither

hasoccurred,orwillsoonoccur,lingofthesteerbythebull

atthestartofthefiesta,forinstance,mayprefigureMike’atively,we

canreadthisincidentasprefiguringBrett’rmore,the

bullfightingepisodesnearlyalwaysfunctionfromtwosymbolicviewpoints:Jake’sperspective

tance,wecaninterpretthefigureofBelmonte

Cohn,Mike,andJakealloncecommanded

Brett’saffection,sotoodidBelmonteoncecommandtheaffectionofthecrowd,whichnow

gercontext,BelmontecansymbolizetheentireLostGeneration,

lanotherlevel,Hemingwayusbullfightingto

guageHemingwayemploystodescribe

Romero’sbullfightingisalmostalwaysxual,andhiskillingofthebulltakestheformofa

mbolicequationofxandviolencefurtherlinksxualitytodangerand

portanttonotethatthedistinctionsbetweentheinterpretationsarenothard

,levelsofmeaninginTheSunAlsoRisflowtogetherandcomplementone

another.