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Humanity In Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises

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Following the despair and hopelessness of World War I, those who were ravaged by the pain of the war have begun to lose their grip on their own humanity. As defined by Merriam-Webster, humanity is the quality or state of being human. In a melancholic post-war society, Hemingway explores the loss of basic human characteristics such as the desire to have a meaningful life, the capability to form emotional connections, and the ability to be confident in one’s masculinity. In The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway simplifies, deforms, and brutalizes images in order to illustrate the eroding sense of humanity among his characters. Initially, Hemingway examines the decline in ambition among his characters and thus the deterioration of humanity by introducing …show more content…

When Barnes first notices the homosexual men enter the bar with Brett, he is filled with anger and jealousy. “I was very angry. Somehow they always made me angry. I know they are supposed to be amusing, and you should be tolerant, but I wanted to swing on one, any one, anything to shatter that superior, simpering composure” (28). Barnes portrays these men as feminine, slightly alien, and completely lacking in masculinity. Initially, Barnes is triggered by this group of men because they are with Brett and he is jealous. However, there are other reasons for Barnes frustrations that run much deeper. For Barnes, someone who is struggling to maintain any sliver of manhood he can, these homosexual men are appalling because contrary to Barnes, they are choosing to be less masculine. These men were not injured in the war. These men were not told that they would be unable to have sexual encounters. These men did not have their manhood and confidence ripped away from them. If anything, these men recklessly threw their masculinity away. This scene serves to reveal Barnes’ deep insecurities about who he was as a person and in turn, his humanity. Similarly, other characters such as Cohn also struggled with their masculinity. Hemingway notes that this insecurity regarding masculinity is a symptom of a rapidly deteriorating

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The best way to summarize the novel Night, by Elie Wiesel, is to use the word “humanity” because of the way that Ellie struggles to preserve his own humanity as he experiences death camp, Auschwitz. Humanity is best defined as “the quality of being humane; kindness; benevolence.” Throughout Night, Elie display’s and contrasts how humanity and inhumanity are both key elements at the camp. This is the most effective way to summarize Night, for a multitude of reasons. Elie’s choices to include stories about the young boy’s hanging, his own father’s death, and the young boy who runs away from his father, are great examples of why humanity is one of the key principles in the book.

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A masculine person can be seen as someone who takes charge and suppresses any kind of weakness. During tough times, a “man” is seen as someone who steps up and takes charge. In Ernest Hemingway 's Indian Camp, Nick Adams learns what it means to become a man. Nick’s image of “ideal masculinity” is shaped through the examples of strength through suffering and violence by his father and the Native American husband. Nick’s father displays true masculinity because remains authoritative and displays an indomitable attitude through times of suffering.

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The Human condition is the root of what it means to be human, how we are all human, and in the same way, how we are individuals. Throughout this essay, you will perceive a better understanding of the human condition, and how it is reflected in select pieces of literature. The Human condition is an extremely paramount part of understanding literature. Who are we if we are not human?

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The novel, The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway, describes the life of some people from the Lost Generation in post-World War I Europe, but mostly in Paris, France and Pamplona, Spain. This novel rotates around Jacob, or Jake, Barnes’, the narrator’s, life; which mostly includes drinking with his friends, Robert Cohn, a Jewish man who is often verbally abused by his “friends”, Ashley Brett, an attractive woman who Jake is in love with, Bill Gorton, a good friend of Jake’s, and a couple others. Their life in dull Paris seems to revolve around spending money and drinking, but when they go to colorful Pamplona, Spain, they have an amazing time during the fun-filled fiesta. Ernest Hemingway uses the “iceberg theory” when he presents Jake Barnes to the reader; he does not directly tell you a lot about Jake, but through Jake’s thoughts and emotions, one can tell that he was injured in the war, he is not a very religious person, he would rather do what he loves, instead of what he must, and he does not like to be honest with himself, despite the fact that he is one of the more honest characters in the novel. Ernest Hemingway does not directly let the reader know that Jake is injured in a special place; he allows the reader to interpret that from Jake’s thoughts and memories.

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