Sun Also Rises Symbolism

The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway’s first novel, takes place in 1924 Paris and Spain. This novel is a Roman à clef: the characters are based on actual people in Hemingway’s social circle and loosely based on real events. It follows Jake Barnes, an American journalist residing in Paris. Barnes fought in World War I, which left him injured and as a result, impotent. He is in love with Lady Brett Ashley, commonly referred to in the book simply as Brett. Brett is a promiscuous Englishwoman and a symbol of the 1920’s “New Woman”. She is characterized by her short, boyish hair and multiple love affairs that represent the new sexual freedom of the era. Though Brett also feels love for Barnes, the two share a complex relationship and rarely speak of their feelings for each other. This

Book One focuses on life in 1920’s Paris and Barnes’s friendship with Robert Cohn. Barnes runs into Lady Brett at a nightclub and Brett later tells Jake that she loves him, but they both realize they can’t have a stable relationship. Book Two introduces Bill and Mike, and all the characters come together in Pamplona for the fiesta. Robert Cohn feels possessive over Brett, after the two have an affair, despite her relationship with Campbell. This, paired with the heavy drinking present throughout the whole novel and the anti-Semitic views towards Cohn, a Jew, cause an increasing resentment towards Cohn as their vacation stretches on. Brett’s affair with a young Matador named Romero causes tensions to reach an all time high and Cohn to lash out. Robert, a former college boxer, gets into fistfights with Jake, Mike, and Romero before fleeing Pamplona. Finally Book Three acts as a resolution. Jake, Mike, and Bill go their separate ways, with Jake heading to San Sebastian. Although, he soon receives a telegram from Brett asking him to come to