English Final - The Sun Also Rises Flashcards
summary
Jake, Cohn, Bill, Brett, and Mike all end up in Spain to watch the Bull fights. Cohn is super in love with Brett and low key follows her everywhere bc he thinks that bc they went on a trip together and had sex that they’re soul mates or something. Brett then starts falling in love with the young amazing bull fighter, Romero, and Jake sets them up. They sleep together and low key become a couple even though brett is engaged and also in love with jake. They leave spain together. After Jake leaves the bullfighting festival, he goes to just chill. Then he gets a telegram from Brett asking him to help her. He goes to where she is and explains that she broke up with romero and is going back to Mike bc she didn’t want to ruin romero. As they are riding back in a taxi, brett says they could’ve been so good together. Jake says, “yes, isn’t it pretty to think so”
characters
jake, cohn, brett, Bill, Mike, Romero, Montoya
jake
WWI vet working as a journalist in Paris struggles bc he is in love w brett but can't be with her bc they can't have sex disillusioned insecure about his masculinity part of the "lost generation" life has lost its luster
Cohn
hasn’t fought in the war, so not disillusioned
things like abstract nouns (love, bravery, ect) still mean something to him
thinks life is a fairy tale
thinks he deserves to be with brett
believes he can still be with brett bc he has not been disillusioned
feels in adequate bc he’s jewish
is a foil for Jake and the other war vets of the novel
symbolic of the failure of traditional values in the post-war world
Brett
searching for connection
needs intimacy
british
Jake’s “green light”
looking for something but she can’t find it because she does’t know what it is
disillusioned bc she was a nurse in the war
kind of masculine
independent
lives an aimless and unfulfilling life
can’t commit to one guy; is uncomfortable being alone
symbolic of the entire Lost Generation’s search for the shattered prewar values of love and romance.
Mike
disillusioned bc war
doesn’t care about his medals; doesn’t think he deserves them/doesnt want them bc the war was meaningless and he doesn’t want to glorify it
deals with his emotional/psychological pain with humor
romero
serves as a foil for Jake and his friends in that he carries himself with dignity and confidence at all times
his passion for bullfighting gives his life meaning and purpose
themes
disillusionment desire coming of age arrested development stuck in a loop searching for happiness, love, closure, fulfillment insecurity gender religion lost generation life goes on - the sun will rise regardless
symbols
cohn’s white polo shirt - escape to go back to when things were better; a time of innocence
bullfighting represents lost generation & destructiveness of sex (idk man)
