Literary Devices

I have read to page 247 in The Sun Also Rises and on page 220 Hemingway uses the literary device, asyndeton in the following quote:

"The bull charged and Romero waited for the charge, the muleta held low, sighting along the blade, his feet firm. Then without taking a step forward, he became one with the bull, the sword was in high between the shoulders, the bull had followed the low-swung flannel, that disappeared as Romero lurched clear to the left, and it was over. The bull tried to go forward, his legs commenced to settle, he swung from side to side, hesitated, then went down on his knees, and Romero's older brother leaned forward behind him and drove a short knife into the bull's neck at the base of the horns."

An author's main purpose for using asyndeton is to present information in an efficient way. The writing is more fluent than it would be if a writer used multiple conjunctions and or punctuation. Hemingway, in particular, uses asyndeton because it allows him to use his simple sentences with more flow. 

Structure and Point of View

Ernest Hemingway is known for his literary structure throughout his writing career. In The Sun Also Rises, he established a very practical writing style. He uses short, concise sentences to get his point across quickly and effectively. He does not add words that are not necessary. For example, on page 205 Hemingway writes, "At noon we were all at the cafe. It was crowded. We were eating shrimps and drinking beer. The town was crowded. Every street was full." A series of simple sentences gets the point across without describing what the cafe looked like or how they went about ordering food or describing why the streets were full. The Sun Also Rises is written in first person. The protagonist, Jake Barnes, is narrating the story from his perspective. He knows what is happening with the other characters but he only truly knows his own feelings.

Tone and Diction

I have read to page 151 in The Sun Also Rises. Throughout the novel Ernest Hemingway uses a mild diction. He sounds articulate but he does not use excessively large words with difficult meanings. Hemingway's tone is a combination of somberness and slightly cynical. The novel starts off discussing war so the tone is gloomy and dark and for the most part continues to be serious later in the plot. On page 21, the protagonist said, "I was a little drunk. Not drunk in any positive sense but just enough to be careless." The quote relates to the somber tone because the characters are constantly attempting to drink their sorrows away. It is also cynical because all of the characters are living in disillusion.The tone contrasts the novel's title. "The Sun Also Rises" implies that no matter how depressingly real the character's struggles are the earth will live on. The sun is going to rise and get up in the morning whether or not the people living under it will.

Characterization

I have currently read to page 151 in The Sun Also Rises. At this point in the novel, Hemingway has described both Jake and Cohn's romantic involvement with Lady Brett Ashley. Through the description of each characters relationship, Hemingway has created a foil characterization. When Bill asked Jake how long he loved Brett he replied, "Off and on for a hell of a long time." Then later he made a comment to himself, "...you had to be in love with a woman to have a basis of friendship. I had been having Brett for a friend. I had not been thinking about her side of it." Jake's inner dialogue shows the reader that he truly cares for Brett. Even though they cannot have a physical relationship he loves her and accepts her for who she really is. Whereas Cohn is the opposite. He relationship with Brett is just an affair without any emotional attachment. His feelings for her are purely physical. This just shows Hemingway's interpretation of the ingenuity of each character. Robert Cohn was always refusing women because he was fearful of rejection but Jake remains yearning for unrequited love, another theme within the novel, regardless of his masculine inadequacy.

Theme/Author's Purpose

I have read to page 65 of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. On page 26 of The Sun Also Rises, the protagonist, Jake Barnes, was discussing his relationship with his female companion, Brett. The conversation included Brett refusing to be with Jake exclusively due to his war-wound that affected his sexual ability. The two of them made some jokes about it when in reality the situation was much more serious than they intended it to be. They agreed they shared a mutual love for each other but that did not change Brett's mind. Jake said, "That's my fault. Don't we all pay for the things we do, though?" He was referring to his decision to enlist into the war which caused his injury. Immediately, Hemingway presents the reader with a major theme that holds a great deal of societal significance. What the author was trying to convey by this quote is that in life people make a myriad of choices and with those actions comes responsibility. As humans, we are held accountable for the things we do and say. In life, not only do we pay for the repercussions of our actions but we pay for all the good things that happen as well. This theme ties in again in chapter 14 when Jake says, "You paid some way for everything that was any good. I paid my way into enough things that I liked, so that I had a good time. Either you paid by learning, or by taking chances, or by money."