While reading The Sun Also Rises, I noticed that almost every character is a serious drinker. Whether at a Paris nightclub or at Jake's flat, alcohol always seems to be nearby. However, not many characters seem to actually enjoy alcohol and only drink it at social events. They constantly use alcohol as an excuse during tense social situations as a way to forget about their lives, or as an alibi to avoid life when they are not drunk. This is evident during the scene when Brett and the count make an unannounced visit to Jake's flat. Jake asks Brett why she had stood him up the night before for their dinner at the Crillon, and she confidently claims that she had no memory of agreeing to meet him because she was drunk. Jake, our narrator, doesn't believe this but doesn't object to Brett, and ponders about it later in Jake fashion. Drinking provides a way to escape reality for the characters, something they seem to turn to very often. They are able to escape from the reality of their inner selves and from one another. Drunkenness also allows them to proceed through their lives with minimal affection and purpose. It frequently brings out the worst of everyone in the story, allowing them to avoid confronting their actual problems by making it easier to avoid thinking about them. Hemingway implies throughout the novel that this constant cycle significantly worsens the mental and emotional pain that Jake endures. We are able to observe him at night when he is at his most vulnerable, and Hemingway shows how different this version of Jake is from the version we see at social events. Let me know what you guys think about this.
I think alcohol is definitely one of the central elements of this story, since everyone is constantly drunk, so it'll be interesting to see what happens if the characters are sober later on. Everything they say is under several layers of drunkenness and irony, but they mainly sidestep talking about what's actually on their minds. Most of the deepest scenes in the book happen when the characters aren't actively drinking, though, so they'd probably be better off if they stopped using alcohol as a buffer.
ReplyDeleteI see alcohol as a subtle allusion to the idea of control -- Well, lack of control. All the characters we see so far struggle with issues and circumstances that they have no power over. For Jake, he is injured in war and loses the most physical aspect of his masculinity. Brett can't control her feelings for Jake and is caught in an endless cycle of romance but lack of satisfaction. Cohn shows a lack of influence in his relationship, in which his female counterpart makes most of the decisions. I'm interested to see if any of them sober up, will that also signify some control they gain over their lives?
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree! And I also feel like it is in some way a part of the culture. There isn't much to do but socialize and to socialize you often drink. In Paris it was very loose and open for the time, which also led to a less sober and more freewheeling community.
DeleteAlcohol is definitely a prevalent theme in the book so far, with almost every scene involving drinking of some sort. I think it's crucial to realize that most of the characters are going through some sort of suffering through the war, so drinking may offer a way to avoid those problems. I will say that all this drinking makes it hard for me to keep track of all the characters since they all seem to be doing the same thing (drinking) so individuals don't really stand out.
ReplyDeleteAgree with you that alcohol is a way for people to create a different version of themselves and lose themselves in substance the donuts to focus on who they truly are. And this deftly connects to Jake trying to lose himself in this public partying persona he has when deep down still crying in his bed every night about Brett. It's really just using a substance to change himself instead of doing it more consciously like Jake is doing.
ReplyDeleteI don't really agree with the fact about none of them enjoying alcohol. While most of the cast only seems to drink it at social events, it seems like Brett either really enjoys alcohol or has a lot to forget as she drinks it every single chance she gets. This likely means something deeper and will be explored more as the story goes on, but is does seem like she has a severe case of alcoholism.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, and I think it's interesting that alcohol affects pretty much everyone in the story. It is easy to think that only the war veterans would be affected by the aftermath of the war, but the novel seems to imply otherwise. For example, Bill Gorton is not a veteran yet he told Jake about his trip and getting constantly drunk when he came back. Although people like Jake and Brett were most directly affected, pretty much everyone part of the "Lost Generation" suffered somewhat.
ReplyDeleteSomething I find interesting is that, so far, we don't see Cohn drinking alcohol. Perhaps this is because Cohn has not experienced or been affected by the war in he same way the other characters have. I think this is meant to provide a contrast between those who were scarred by the war and those who were not. The other characters in the book, who have firsthand experience of the war, are suffering and use alcohol to cope with and cover up their physical and psychological wounds. Cohn, who is not a veteran of the war, is not scarred the way they are.
ReplyDeleteWhat I meant was, we don't see Cohn getting drunk.
DeleteI really like your ideas here about the aspects of alcohol and drunkenness in the chapters we've read so far in the novel, and I do agree with you. I'd like to take your points and think about Brett. Brett, as we know, has gone through a lot emotionally and mentally and we know that she definitely doesn't have the most secure of lifestyles. Wherever we see her, there is usually alcohol involved and to your comment, it may make it easier for her to forget about all the hard things riddled into her life right now. We know she could have taken the easier way out by not telling Jake about going to San Sebastian with Cohn, so having the opportunity to just get away may be a common decision for Brett. Awesome post Nabeel!
ReplyDeleteThey are drunk so much. It certainly seems to influence their decisions and the way they act around one another. It is quite possible that this could be traced back to their experience in the war.
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