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Essay / The theme of post-war challenges in The Sun Also Rises
In Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, a brooding, reflective tone with an ironic undertone is used effectively alongside formal, concrete diction , simple syntax and antithesis, expressive expression. figurative language, and numerous allusions to the Bible and irony that allow the reader to feel the tumultuous emotions felt by the novel's characters and reinforce the theme of the suffering of war that continues outside the battlefield . The book contains a chain reaction of broken and dysfunctional relationships in the central characters' search for wisdom, subsequently leading to a plethora of inappropriate behavior that was prevalent in Paris in the early 1920s and after World War I. Soldiers who survived the bloody conflict returned home to face new challenges and horrors not previously anticipated. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay. Jake Barnes narrates the novel with a moody, depressed, and reflective tone. He acts as an observer, noting and interpreting the landscape and events around him. He has been deeply depressed since returning from the war because an injury left him helpless and unable to have relations with the woman he loves, Lady Brett Ashley. Jake is part of the group, but he remains separate from the others, as the tone confirms. The sad, thoughtful tone can be seen in the passage on page 25: “'Don't touch me,' she said. “Please don’t touch me.” » "What is it?" » “Oh, Brett. » “You must not. You must know. I can't stand it, that's all. Oh, darling, please understand! » You don't love me? » Do you love yourself? I just turn to jelly when you touch me. “Is there nothing we can do about this?” » She was sitting now. My arm was around her and she was leaning against me, and we were pretty quiet. She looked into my eyes with this way of looking that made you wonder if she really saw with her own eyes. They would watch again and again after the eyes of everyone in the world had stopped looking. (Hemingway 25) In this quote, Jake's inner struggle is tangible, he expresses obvious love from Brett and he is unable to have a relationship with her. The longing and sadness that predominate in the tone of is ironic, considering the novel's title, The Sun Also Rises. The name suggests that for every slowdown; every time the sun sets, it rises. But in the novel this does not happen. The book ends on the same melancholy, depressed note on which it began. The sad, questioning and reflective tone is also supported by the epigraph from the Bible at the beginning of the book. The epigraph is taken from Ecclesiastes 1:3-6. The first sentences of the book sum up the tone of The Sun Also Rises: “'Meaningless! Meaningless!' said the Master. “That makes absolutely no sense!” It's all nonsense.' » (Ecclesiastes 1:2). The actions of the characters throughout the novel support this; Excessive drinking and reckless behavior suggest they are trying to fill an otherwise meaningless existence. Jake's questioning attitude and depressed, brooding tone are driven by formal but simple diction. Hemingway uses formal language with very little colloquial or vernacular language, which allows the reader to understand the main concepts of the story without having to decode a plethora of complex language. In Jake's description of scenes and events, simple language isused, with few double meanings or euphemisms. “At that point, however, he had other things to worry about. It had been taken in hand by a lady who hoped to join the magazine. She was very energetic and Cohn never had a chance of not being taken over. He was also sure he loved her. When this lady saw that the magazine was not going to increase, she became a little disgusted with Cohn and decided that she might as well get what there was to get while there was still some something available, so she urged them to go to Europe, where the lady had studied and stayed for three years. (Hemingway 5). This passage illustrates the simple diction used and how it does not interfere with the entire message of the story. In conjunction, Hemingway chooses mainly monosyllabic words. Finally, Jake's thoughtful tone shines through in the many descriptions he offers throughout the text. The diction of The Sun Also Rises is further supported by simple, periodic syntax. Simple sentences make up the vast majority of the novel. Despite their name, the meaning they convey is far from simple. For example, the following passage consists mostly of simple sentences, but conveys the rhetorical question that seems to haunt Jake and Brett throughout the story. “We were sitting together. I put my arm around her and she leaned against me comfortably. It was very warm and bright, and the houses appeared dazzling white. We took the Gran Via. “Oh, Jake,” Brett said, “we could have had a great time together.” » In front of us was a mounted policeman in khaki directing traffic. He raised his staff. The car suddenly slowed, pressing Brett against me. "Yes." I said. “Isn’t it lovely to think that?” (Hemingway 247). In addition to consisting primarily of simple sentences, this passage contains a rhetorical question. “Isn’t it nice to think so?” » is the essential question of the novel. What if Jake wasn't helpless? Would their lives be less meaningful if they could be together? Additionally, Romero's description of bullfighting provides an antithesis, as he seems to be the only meaningful character in his life. “The wet, mud-weighted cape opened and filled as a sail fills, and Romero swung with it right in front of the bull. At the end of the passage, they faced each other again. Romero smiled. The bull wanted it again and Romero's cape filled again, this time from the other side. Each time, he let the bull pass so close that the man and the bull formed only one clearly engraved mass. Everything was so slow and so controlled. It was as if he was rocking the bull to sleep. He did four speedwells like that, and finished with a half speedwell turning his back on the bull and walking away towards the applause, hand on hip, cape on arm, and the bull looking at his back. move away. (Hemingway 217). Romero's presence towards the conclusion of the novel creates a schism in the group of friends as he is apparently the only one who has achieved what is described in Ecclesiastes, purpose and meaning. The vast majority of Romero's interactions occur in arenas, as opposed to the group of friends; the ring does not allow false or meaningless actions as they would result in death. This certainty captures the group's attention; they envy its apparent unity and meaning. This syntax contributes to the irony of The Sun Also Rises. Hemingway uses irony effectively in several different scenarios. Additionally, the aforementioned title creates irony in relation to the verses in Ecclesiastes. In addition to this, the plot contains situational irony regarding Jake's helplessness. He goes to war, like most men, to.