Hemingway’s the Sun Also Rises
5-6 pages Format: Double-spaced, 1-inch margins, numbered pages, 12-point (Times New Roman, Arial, or Garamond) font. Please refer to formatting sheet. *Title centered over text *Stapled *Works Cited page
Objective: This assignment involves working with a text and its criticism, using the latter to help enhance your textual/conceptual argument in a relevant and clear manner.
Essentially, you will use at least two critical articles on Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises in order to enhance a conceptual examination of the text. From the given topics (or one of your own choosing), you will have to find articles which pertain to the concept you wish to focus on as well as cite, paraphrase, and inject your chosen articles into the paper itself. You may use one or more from the assigned articles (from below) but must choose at least one additional article from your own research. Think of the secondary sources as a tool with which to help you build and strengthen your thesis, one which will ultimately guide your interaction with the text. Assessment will be based on how well you connect the ideas in the article with those in your paper and use both to create a clear and strengthened thesis. This is not a critique of the articles- the articles support your thesis. Texts: -The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway (primary) -“Reading Around Jake’s narration: Brett Ashley and The Sun Also Rises,” Lori Watkins Fulton (secondary) -“Cafés and Food: Allusions to the Great War in The Sun Also Rises, William Adair (secondary) -“Yes, That is a Roll of Bills in My Pocket: The Economy of masculinity in The Sun Also Rises,” Jacob Michael Leland (secondary) -Other secondary readings
Choose 1 topic: Paper #2 Sample topics
- Consider the role of money throughout the text. Look at the discourse which surrounds the characters’ finances; the way they use their money and the way they talk about wealth, debt, and spend throughout. Consider how their use of money and money in general plays into the larger concepts of the text, e. g. masculinity, class, expatriation.
- Analyze masculinity within the text. Consider Jake’s characterization—his war wound, his relations with Brett and other women, his use of money, his passion for bullfighting, and leisure activities—instances of male bonding and sportsmanship, male-female contrasts and interactions. Think also about money, sex, bullfight/boxing/street fighting, drinking, etc. and how they play into the text’s notion of what it is to be a man. You can also explore his relationships with other men- what does he admire, or resent about others’ masculinity?
- Analyze the text within the context of expatriation. What sort of character traits, habits, lifestyles, etc. make up this characterization? Consider them in contrast to those who live within their home country. How might the expatriate presence affect the events, perspectives, etc. of the text?
- Discuss the role of women in text, focusing specifically on the characterization of Brett Ashley in her relationship with Jake. How is Brett portrayed as a woman? Think about her interactions with men. How does she treat them/how is she treated by them? What is significant about her relationship with Jake? What does that tell us about her/him?
- Consider the significance of bullfighting and bullfighters in the novel. How are they discussed, described and treated throughout the text? What do Hemingway’s descriptions and portrayals of the bullfights and the fighters themselves say about masculinity and humanity? Consider the various comparisons between bulls, steers, and the novel’s characters. What or who might these animals symbolize? Why might this be significant? Look at specific characters as well as specific events.
- Analyze the presence of alcohol within the text. Looking at the various instances of social consumption, drunkenness, and out-right belligerence, discuss the role of alcohol as a social agent, self-medication, and a way of detaching oneself from concerns of reality. What do the frequency, amount, and level of consumption say about the characters at hand or their generation as a whole? How does class play into their somewhat reckless and immature use of alcohol? Do their irresponsible drinking habits reflect something greater or deeper about their own personalities/lives? Also, consider when characters do not drink.
- Consider the significance of the war as a backdrop for the characters’ lives. Think about who was in the war, who was not in the war, what types of injuries—both psychological and physical—that resulted from the war, and what type of effect this has on the characters/events as a whole.
- Examine the significance of the “Lost Generation” in the text. Consider what makes someone apart of or not a part of this grouping. How does this concept play into the text’s overall conceptual framework? Think about notions such as drinking, memory, “payment,” the war, scars/injuries, etc. in order to garner an idea of what role this concept plays in the text. Other topics could address the concept of friendship; the importance or symbolism of placedoes where they are affect what or who they are or how they act, or do they choose a place to fit their needs? Also, topics can, and most likely will overlap in your discussions.