Essay On Alcoholism In The Sun Also Rises

Alcohol and its Effects on the characters in The Sun Also Rises In 1920, the 18th amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, and prohibition became the law of the land. All consumption of alcohol was now illegal, and because of their propensity towards alcohol, this amendment greatly impacted some of the characters of this novel. One of these characters is Jake Barnes. While one of the most levelheaded people in the group, he still imbibes alcohol on a regular basis. This is evident whenever he meets someone, because he invariably asks them “Want to have a drink?” (Hemingway 64). Barnes’ way of fitting in with people is to get to know them over a drink. However, because of this activity, Jake is frequently drunk. Matts Dojos says that “Between Paris, Pamplona, and Burguete, Jake gets very drunk at least three times” (66). Some may say that Barnes is only a heavy drinker, and entitled to this because of the wound he received on the Italian front in World War I, but “ there is a considerable difference between heavy drinking and the kind of self-destructive, alcoholic drinking

Lady Ashley is engaged to Mike Campbell, and shares his love of booze. Brett bounces from bar to cafe, always on the move, and always willing to have one more drink. When she was insistent on bathing before michael got in to Paris, and invited to have a drink, Brett immediately says “Might do that. Now you’re not talking rot” (80). This shows that to her, alcohol is more important than almost anything else she wants to do, and a catalyst for everything else. In addition, Brett is “Heavily ... drunk on two occasions” (Dojos, 4). However, as Count Mipipopolus notes when Jake, Brett and the Count are in Jake’s paris apartment, Brett is “As interesting drunk as you are sober, my dear” (Hemingway 47). This shows that Brett has somewhat of a tolerance to alcohol, as she has almost the same personality drunk as