My favorite part by far of The Sun Also Rises was Jake and Bill’s fishing trip. Hemingway’s writing seems to beam emotions directly from his characters to me, and I would much rather experience the feelings associated with the fishing trip alongside the characters than those associated with any other setting in the novel. The constant unease of the Paris party scene, the chaos of the Fiesta in Pamplona, and even the somewhat morose but generally calm and pleasant enough solo stay in San Sebastian seem to be far less pleasant environments. I think that much of my enjoyment of the fishing trip in contrast with other settings stems from Hemingway’s skill in conveying his characters emotions. Throughout many parts of the novel the characters are at best uneasy and at worst completely fallen apart and always drunk, and Hemmingway manages to convey this so powerfully that start to feel uneasy and anxious just reading the party scenes. It is interesting to me how his writing style, which delves so little into the inner thoughts of the characters manages to convey their thoughts and emotions in such a profoundly visceral way. I feel like I have a much better understanding of what his characters are feeling and thinking than I did of Woolf’s characters in Mrs. Dalloway, even though Woolf dived into her characters minds and laid their thoughts bare for the reader to see.
Hemmingway is not only able to convey the negative emotions associated with the various party settings, but also the profoundly positive emotions associated with the fishing trip. Every aspect of that part of the book seems to be crafted in such a way that it conveys the good feelings that Jake and Bill are experiencing as they go on their pleasant side quest from the flaming whirlpool that is the book’s primary storyline. Even the description of scenery that we see for the first time in this section serves to help in conveying these good vibes. Hemmingway beautifully describes the idyllic Spanish countryside in a way that emphasizes its difference from the artificial and unpleasant realm of expatriates’ Paris. Everything about the setting and what the characters do in it seems designed to make both the characters and readers feel a since of relaxation and companionship that is a reprieve from the unsettlingly hectic and combative settings that fill the rest of the novel. The very choice of fishing as their activity of choice adds to this, fishing being the quintessentially relaxing activity that it is. On the whole, I found the contrast between the description of the fishing trip and the rest of the novel to be stark and enjoyed the fishing trip sequence rather much more than I did the rest of the novel.
I also found the fishing trip description to be different than the rest of the book, perhaps slightly happier. Do you think this has something to do with the missing presence of Brett? Maybe Jake is more comfortable with his masculinity in this scene because 1. fishing and 2. Brett isn't threatening it? (See Anya's latest blog)
ReplyDeleteMaybe the fishing scene is so calming for Jake (and the readers) because the Spanish countryside evokes Jake's pre-war life. Like Mr. Mitchell said in class, most of the War didn't reach Spain, so the Spanish countryside doesn't seem to have any of the dramatic post-war changes that are found in Paris. The pristine countryside could remind Jake of a time before the War, when he wasn't injured.
ReplyDeleteThis could be described as an aspect of Pastoralism, where they go out into nature and the countryside and leave all their cares behind. This could be used to contrast the modernist views of Paris.
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