CONTENTS
1 Introduction
1.1A brief introduction to E.H
1.2 A brief introduction to The Sun Also Rises
2 Themes of The Sun Also Rises
2.1 Lost Generations
2.1.1. Jake Barnes: a tragic hero
2.1.2 Brett Ashley: a lady lacking spiritual support
2.1.3 Robert Cohn: a man being mocked
2.2 The Existentialism
3 The Iceberg Theory in the novel
3.1 The Reasons of Iceberg style’s Formation
3.1.1. Family Circumstance
3.1.2. Career
3.1.3. Hobbies
3.2. Scenery description
3.3. Telegraphic dialogue
Conclusion
Bibliography
Ernest Hemingway was a legendary writer in the history of American literature. Hemingway(1899～1961) was a famous American writer in the 20th century and was awarded as Noble Prize winner for his outstanding literature work The Old Man and The Sea in 1954. In his literary career, Hemingway wrote 10 novels, 10 volumes of short stories, and 5 non-fictions. He has been renowned for his leading role and typical image in The Lost Generation, an American post-World War I school of literature. His works successfully portray many tenacious and courageous tough guys which give people enlightenment and encouragement. His outstanding literature works are still precious treasures for the international literatures. The distinctive writing style of Hemingway is famous for its economy and understatement and it has exerted huge influence on the literary creation in the 20th century. So do his publicized life of adventure and the tough image he established.
In his well-known book, he depicted a group of American young people deeply. After the World War I, they wondered pointlessly and restlessly, while at the same time they were aware that the world was crazy and meaningless. They saw that their brothers and friends lost their lives, in addition, even though some of them could survive with the handicapped body, their lives are full of sorrow and pain, and the cruel reality couldn’t make up for the trauma. Those young people were cut off from old values and yet unable to come to terms with the new era. What’s more, they couldn’t get rid of moral pain with the attitude of negativity and were numbed by the emotional torment. They stood for the generation suffered the World War 1. They were called the “Lost Generation”. Gertrude Stein, an American woman writer, gave the term. Hence, the phrase “Lost Generation” came into vogue, with Hemingway as their spokesman.
As Hemingway’s first long novel, The Sun Also Rises puts emphasis on describing psychological state of the post-war youths. It was a process of inward exploration at the same time the monologue of souls struggling in the real world. Main characters in this novel had been afflicted greatly with sufferings and torments. They have lost their ideal and objective of future. That was exactly one feature of The Lost Generation and Hemingway intended to use this novel to reflect the post-war society and The Lost Generation. It is agreed by a lot of critics that A Farewell to Arms is one of Hemingway’s most famous novels. For example, Zhan Zhihe (2004), one of the critics, recognizes this novel as the peak in the literature world of the “Lost Generation”, and he also points out that Hemingway’s disgust towards the Imperialism is also seen in this novel.( Zhan Zhihe, 2004:142) Brian Phillips and David Hopson（2003）think that this novel helps Hemingway to be known by the world as a writer of many trades such as boxing, bullfighting, big-game hunting.( Phillips & Hopson, 2003:65) A Farewell to Arms has a close relation with the author’ experience. Therefore, by analysis of this novel, this dissertation shows one aspect of Ernest Hemingway---his pessimism towards life, which is helpful to uncover the mystery of the writer. This dissertation can also be helpful to the understanding of young people’s mind of the “Lost Generation”, and reveal the enormous damage that the war brought to them both physically and emotionally.
Every reader is moved by simple and brisk style of The sun also rises. The aim of Ernest Hemingway is to tell a story with a concise style, so he display the reader with the direct statement, clear dialogue, simplifying action. He shows the meaning by using the accurate and amiable language and the combination of events and the imagery of works. Ernest Hemingway’s writing technique is frequently compared to an iceberg-an object that moves gracefully, with a sense of mass, but of which only one-eighth is visible. In this fiction, readers sense the seven-eighths that are unspoken from the one-eighth that is shown, thus increasing the weight of what is said.
This simple style of Iceberg theory embodies on the technique by which Hemingway used the miniature of bullring to reveal the reality.(Tanner, 2005:91) The description and narration of the bullring push the whole story into the climax. In the bullring, the bull runs fast and the bullfighter jumps on it and goes on sword-fighting, and the scene is dangerous and stimulating to survive. Hemingway displays the character of bravery and expresses the “grace under pressure” with the usage of theatrical form of bullring. He takes advantage of the bullring as the miniature to show the human world by the using of short and direct form. The bullring is filled with violence and death. During the competition between the bull and the bullfighter, they just have one choose: to kill or to be killed. Killing is to survive so killing is the only method to live. This is a contest on life and death between the strong bull and brave bullfighter. These fierce bulls are bought specially to fight in the bullring, just to get the appreciation of audience, for the brave bullfighter, their dangerous performance is only to please the audience. These matters of life and death become the trifling matter, which is ridiculous to find amusement deliberately.
Now, we turn to the reality form the bullring. The figures in the fiction are poor and homeless American and Britain emigrants who almost are leading a wandering life in poverty. They wander on the Europe continent and move from one rest house to anther. On the face of it, the characters enjoy themselves, join in the social activities, drink, eat, watch the running of the bulls, and bicker with each other. However, they find the desperate feeling after crazy carousing. On the soul fields of after war, they lost the aim and meaning of life. They just do their utmost to forget their sorrow and to seek the so-called happiness in greediness, extravagance and sexual intercourse. Jake and Brett fall in love with each other. But the war destroys Jake’s potency, which make their love mutilation because of the base of lacuna. In the night, Jake suffers from insomnia and weeps with grief for his inability and fate. During the World War1, Brett is the nurse and loses her first lover, later, she sends her husband who is in a stage of danger. The war not only makes Jake and contemporary lose the manliness but also lets Brett masculine. After the war, she lives a luxurious and depraved life in Paris. In the place, people don’t know what to do next. She fools around with some men, indulges in wine and flirt in the coffee shop, whose reason is to forget the hellish pain.
Chapter One The Iceberg Theory
I. The definition of Iceberg Theory
In 1932, Ernest Hemingway raised the “ Iceberg Theory ” for the first time in the book of Death After Noon. He said: “If an author for prose is very clear what he/she wants to write in heart, then he /she can ignore what he /she knows, while as for readers, as long as the author wrote it with reality, they can feel the things which were ignored strongly. It’s like the author have written them.”（Zeng Fanting, 1999:28） The “Iceberg” can move grandly in the sea, because only one eighth is above the water.”
In 1954, when Ernest Hemingway accepted an interview with Joe, Pulintan，he said: “You ignore all of the things which you know, but they still exist in your works, and then their special quality will be showed. However, if an author ignored what he/she doesn’t know, then what they ignored will be showed as a flaw for their works.”(Sanderson, 2001:109) This idea was emphasized when he answered the reporters’ (In “comment on Paris”) questions. He said: “I always try to describe by “Iceberg Theory”. As for the things which are above the water, while the other seven-eighths are under the water. You can ignore anything you know. It can strengthen your “Iceberg”. (Liu Donglin, 2001:88) It’s the very Hemingway’s “Iceberg Theory”.
II. The development of Iceberg Theory
As for the development of literature, the “Iceberg Theory” of Hemingway is deviated from the end of 19th Century and the beginning of 20th Century. Looking for new and changeable things is the eternal character for human. There’s no doubt that if you want to have your own room in literature, you have to look for new and changeable writing style. If so, it’s fit for the demand of human. In literature creation, the usage of “The Foreground” will betray the traditional writing style. Until 20th Century, the language in literature works was over-elaborated day-by-day. The written English was flashy and long-winded. Then its development trend isn’t trying to explain and discuss for tradition. I’d like to quote the works of H.E.Bates who’s famous essayist in English. “Hemingway tried to cut all of the blocks which covered the readers’ view with the axe in his hands.” “He cut the unnecessary parts in literature.” “And that leaded to a literature revolution.”(Su Minghai, 2005:106) This is the development of “Iceberg Theory”.
III. The usage of Iceberg Theory in Literature
Hemingway (1899—1961) isn’t a literature theoretical expert. However, he expounds many creation theories by his plentiful experience. They look like very easy, nonsystematic, but there is real knowledge and deep insight. And the most famous is “Iceberg Theory”. The Old Man and the Sea is the most successful works for Hemingway.
In modern society, many authors use or comment this principle to write literature works, such as Cao Ping, Cai Jiazhen, Li Hongzi and so on. “Iceberg Theory” contains two sides, one is what authors ignored, and the other is what readers grasped.( Baker, 1956:145) Hemingway always tried to describe by “Iceberg Theory”. He tried to figure out what’s the readers’ response while he’s creating. He always deleted the unnecessary parts as possible as he could. So the language in his works is very simple and embodied, for example, his short story — The Killer, which was very popular in Western countries. When you read that title, maybe you can’t help thinking about one reeking of blood condition of fierce fighting. However, you didn’t see flight in the course of reading the story. The author just said two attackers tied up Nick and Sam in the kitchen with rope and threatened them. The story didn’t tell us if Anderson was killed. The author ignored it to let readers feel surprised and continue to read. That’s the usage of “Iceberg Theory”.
Chapter Two The Iceberg Theory in The Sun Also Rises
The Sun Also Rises pays more attention to the subtext – the closet theme. These characters live a pathological and freaky life, in which that they haven’t dream or bright culture, such as Jake, Cohn, and Brett. For the past, they see the dark and regret. For the future, they see the gloomy and dismal picture. Facing up to the situation, they become fallen people into the desperate hell and idle away their lives by excessive drinking, flirting, fishing, and bullfighting. Jake and Brett are the representatives of the generation of bourgeoisie, the victims of the war of imperialism and the product of capitalist spiritual civilization. So we can say the subtext of the fiction reveals the dirty war and capitalist social risks. The whole keynote is full of negative and desperate atmosphere, as the writer is in the same status of figures, he can’t see the outlet to solve the problem and go into the relationship between the fate and society, the only one thing for him is just to look forward to the bright future. In this fiction, we sense the seven-eighths that are unspoken from the one-eighth that is shown, thus increasing the weight of what is said.
I. Tragic Ideas in The Sun Also Rises under the Iceberg Theory
1. Jake Barnes: a hero in tragedy
a. Suffering the unendurable injury brought by the war
Jake Barns, the hero in this novel, is an U.S. soldier in the First World War, but became physiologically impotent due to his physical injuries in the battlefield, so he is unable to make love with Brett, his beloved. Since then, he has no direction and ideals in his life and he has to indulge himself in hard work, drinking and bull fights.
Though Jake’s injury doesn’t threaten his life, it is difficult for any men to endure, because it makes Jake lose the ability to be a normal man. In the face of this wound, Jack cannot do anything but feel sad for his misfortune and misery and this seems to be a symbol of one’s unchangeable destiny. The First World War has made Jake lose his ability to be a normal man and his love for his beloved, so the war takes Jake’s spiritual support away from him. No doubt that Jake is one of the tragic heroes of Hemingway.
b. Losing the original concept of morality and life
As a representative of the “lost generation”, Jake loses his original concept of morality and life after the Second World War. The cruel war has shattered Jake’s belief in maintaining justice and the manhood and pursuing the beauty and love. Losing the lofty beliefs and ideals, Jake as well as the Lost Generation lives aimlessly, becomes immoral, and never shows the true emotion and love which comes from the inner heart. Part of Jake's character shows the Lost Generation and its miserable position: he roams through Paris, drinking heavily at each, his life fills purposeless debauchery. He shows his extreme cruelty to Cohn. Sharing the similar experience with other members of the Lost Generation, Jake’s typical anxiety is his doubt on his ability to be a man.
Simultaneously, Jake differs from the other people. It seems that Jake is quite clear about the useless and aimless way of life the Lost Generation lives. In the second chapter of this novel, Jake tells Cohn that it is impossible for one to change oneself by moving from this place to another place. (Frederick, 1991:65) Otherwise, he knows the frequent brutality of the behavior in which he and friends engage. What’s more, although Jack has realized the problems in his life, it seems that he is unwilling to solve them and remedy his wound but continue to indulge himself.
c. Unreal love
During the World War I, Jake’s reproductive organ was shot off, only leaving his testis. Because he is able to produce sperm, he strongly has desires. However, Jake can not satisfy his sexual desires. Jake loves Brett Ashley very much and they hope to stay with each other forever, but Jake cannot make love with his beloved, not to mention to be with her forever. So, to Jake, the human sexual relationship is meaningless.
Jake's physical problems have deep psychological consequences. He seems quite unstable his masculine. When Brett, the woman Jake falls in love with, tells him that she is unwilling to be a girlf, riend of a man who is physiologically impotent, Jake is very sad but he quite understand this because there will be no sexual intercourse in their love, which will certainly hurt Brett. In fact, Jake’s cruelty and indifference to Cohn is the result of his serious feelings about his physiological impotence.
d. Seeking stimulus for escape from the reality
Jake’s enthusiasm and ideals before participating the First World War has turned into hatred to the social reality. He feels that he has been cheated and his life, which is full of pain and absence of aim, is dominated by the unchangeable fate no matter how hard he tries.
But it is an oversimplification to regard Hemingway as a pessimist just according to the description of Jake’s misfortune. Jack finally succeeded in understanding how to live in his way, to seek consolation by his work, sports, swimming, bike race, observation, fishing, especially bullfight. His wounds have no relations with people; he made a lot of male friends. He was satisfied with his life in a man's world, he has become a tough guy who can brave and shoulder pain and suffering. He received consolation from the bullfighting ring and those of men belonging to a man's world matador. Bullfighting rings him as a mental asylum. The sun rising from the east and the world every day brought warmth and light, means that life will continue in the future, no matter how difficult it is, people should not lose courage and strength, but still should be in despair and hope to maintain their life brave. In mortals' distress is so insignificant, and the eternal sun. Changes in Jack and his strong thought to reflect that he did not want to lose all of his life. Jake Barnes has the unfortunate when he finds that he is attracted by a pretty young woman—Brett Ashley. Worse, she finds in Jake everything she ever wanted but now can not have. The love between Jake and Brett is a fruitless relationship because there is no sexual love.
2 Lady Brett Ashley：lack of spiritual ballast
a. Pursuit of freedom and independence
Brett is a strong woman, pursuing independence. She has a great power for the Man behind her, because her beauty and charm seems to charm everyone that she meets. In addition, she refused to accept any men, she would prefer to final independence. However, her independence does not make her pleased. She often complained to Jack how poor her life, she claims that there is no purpose, and not satisfactory. She is wandering from bar to bar, from one man’s arms to another man’s arms, and from Jake to Cohn. On the one hand, she tries to seek for comfort from life and love; on the other hand, she is unwilling to accept anyone of the men who pursue her. As Jack's words, "she's nowhere to go."(Wang Kanlin, 2005:83)
As a matter of fact, Brett has the great power to break the relationship between men. To Hemingway, a liberated female can impose a corrupting and threatening force on men. Brett imposes a threat to Pedro Romero and his career, because she is brave enough to violate the conventional feminine behaviors.
b. Hiding the fragility and pains
Brett Ashley is a young lady who attracts the men around her. Her brilliance, attraction, smartness and fashion make the men unable to resist. To some extent, Brett is also a victim of the First World War, because her beloved died of dysentery during the war. This emotional trauma is so destructive to Brett that Brett’s character is completely changed. After the death of her sweetheart, Brett shows no true emotions toward the men she meets afterwards; she makes many attempts to seek for the original love she has lost, but she fails. In this sense, the personal pursuit of Brett is equal to the pursuit of the shattered pre-war values of the “lost generation.
c. Teasing men without reins
Brett, who is deeply loved by Jake, disgusted by Cohn, engaged to Mike, and infatuated with Romero, always covers her real emotion behind her debonair exterior. It seems that she has controlled these men and her relationships with them, but once her exterior shell is cracked, she is also a vulnerable woman. From Brett’s relationship with Romero, it can be found that she strives to avoid revealing her real emotions but sometimes she fails.
3 Robert Cohn: a man being mocked
a. A man of contradictions
Hemingway, to a certain extent, tricked his readers into the thought that Robert belongs to “the Lost Generation” only because of those who he socializes with as friends. In the novel we are informed of why Cohn might spend time with the expatriates, including Jake, Brett, Mike, and Bill. Robert felt like an outsider, an explicit resemblance to the others of the group. According to Jake’s description of Cohn we also discover that Cohn is not willing to stay in one place for long, quite similar to the other characters in the story. This is another reason for Cohn to befriend the expatriates. Cohn’s resemblance to the others in the first book of the book seem to categorize him as part of the “Lost Generation,” but it is soon clear that these common qualities are only similar on the outside.
Robert Cohn is absolutely depicted as a man who has no right position in society at that time. Different from Jake, Brett, Mike, and Bill, Robert cannot fit in because he is not a qualified candidate for the “Lost Generation”. Robert is in the end rejected by his “friends” for his old-fashioned value system and high morality. He is not impacted by the First World War, he did not turn into an alcoholic like everyone else, he keeps his utopian ideas of love and commitment, and he adheres to a sense of honor that nearly dies out. Though he has to deal with his own issues with identity confusion like the others, Robert is not a perfect spokesman of the “Lost Generation” which the rest of the characters belong to. He simply embodies the pre-war values that can no longer fit into the post-war life of the “Lost Generation.”
b. Compromising with the distorted society
Cohn’s attitude toward honor and romantic love is relatively conservative. He played very strong in tennis, but if he lost his graceful acceptance of defeat. In addition, he doesn’t think that there is any value in the emotional love between him and Brett. Different from Jake and other people, Cohn he thinks that he should adhere to the traditional morals and values all the time. Perhaps the reason for this is that Cohn had no awful experience in the First World War
Sadly, Cohen's value system has not happened in the post-war world, Cohn should not keep it that way.
Romero asked him to shake hands with him in tears after Cohen had defeated once in the past. This is a ridiculous action because it seems to be an attempt to restore the traditional morals and values. The fact that Cohn leaves Pamplona indicates that the traditional values in the pre-war time don’t fit the post-war world any longer.
c. Being mocked by Jake and Frances
After reading this novel, readers will find that Robert Cohn show his appearance in this novel is before the hero Jake. However, Cohn does not belong to the heroes of Hemingway. If so, his opposite is the author of an ideal hero should be (strong, opinionated, knowledgeable, and courageous, among other things - in other words, like Jack minus the whole thing impotence). However, the characters are Robert Cohn entire plot sparks books. This is his to do with Brett and its consequences, the provisions of the entire chain of jealousy exploded Pepper and fuel novel action. Although he is not a hero, or even particularly sympathetic to the character, he is the central plot of the novel.
Jake thinks Cohn is the worst in people –he is very hard to understand, he consistently does. Cohn is also marked as different from Jack, Bill and Mike in a very important way - only he did not these all people, fighting in the war. It seems that Cohn is more likely to be a catalyst rather than an actor, so he is often mocked by Jack and Francis.
II. Reflection in other aspects
On the view of Hemingway, if an essayist is sure about what he wants to write, he could leave out the contents that he knows. What about readers? If the writer writes well, they can feel the contents of the omission, as the write has already written out. For himself, he wants to seize the principle and strikes out some unnecessary parts to achieve the effects that the readers can get the experiences, as it really happen. Hemingway is opposed to the shabby and epic styles that are not enough implicit or vague, leading to the result that the readers don’t get around much anymore. Creating the The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway shapes clear scenes and characters by using the simple language, which make the readers feel the hidden emotions.
3.2.1 Reflection of iceberg theory in scenery description
Hemingway loves later impressionism, from which he learns the usage of the light, voice, modeling and pictorial space. He changes the streak into language and describes the pure, substantial, and deep senses to constitute a wonderful picture.
“The bus climbed steadily up the road. The country was barren and rocks stuck up through the clay. There was no grass beside the road. Looking back we could see the country spread out below. Far back the fields were squares of green and brown on the hillsides. Making the horizon were the brown mountains. They were strangely shaped. As we climbed higher the horizon kept changing.” (Donald, 1999:65)
In Hemingway’s writing, there is no global description. He always observes the object accurately, which is similar with the creation of the television camera. He uses the first person to hide the writer himself for putting off the obstacles which affect the reading and narrows the distance between the writer, the object, and the reader into the inferior limit. Therefore, from the description of the graceful scene, we can see his love and appreciation for the nature, which moves the figures and the writers profoundly. Additionally, his script of prose style has the feature of repertory cinema, with the car driving, the moving sight makes the reader feel as they are right on the scene.
3.2.2 Telegraphic dialogue
Hemingway uses the telegraphic dialogue in The Sun Also Rises, which enhances the impact of the Iceberg Theory intensively. There is a dialogue between Jake and Bill in Burguete.
"Aw, hell!" I said. "It's too early in the morning."
"There you go. And you claim you want to be a writer too. You're only a newspaper man. An expatriated newspaper man. You ought to be ironical the minute you get out of bed. You ought to wake up with your mouth full of pity."
”You're an expatriate. Why don't you live in New York?”
“You know what's the trouble with you? You're an expatriate. One of the worst type. Haven't you heard that? Nobody that ever left their own country ever wrote anything worth printing. Not even in the newspapers."….
He drank the coffee.
"You're an expatriate. You've lost touch with the soil….”(Hemingway , 2002:125)
This dialogue is sententious, vivid and individual and reveals the position of the characters in society who they observe the principle and aim leading to a truth that there is totally difference between the inner world and their appearance. Bill mentions five times that Jake’s fate is ethereal and homeless and the only thing he can do is to seek the perfect life by idling away in wine and love. Obviously, the fallacious chase will result in the deep mental crisis and lose running out of control. In this fiction, readers sense the seven-eighths that are unspoken from the one-eighth that is shown, thus increasing the weight of what is said.
III. philosophical meaning of The Sun Also Rises
Hemingway thinks that the real world is a sort of human environment of existentialism, in which human beings can not escape, know and change it. He provides a new lifestyle for human beings living in this world, that we call it ”code hero”: facing the reality and disparaging the pain and death.(Li Gongzhao, 2001:65) By self-choice, self-creation, human beings can show “grace under pressure” through the seeking and producing the rules, meaning and beauty in a mess, ridiculous and pointless life. During the inane, indifferent and vicious world, human being don’t understand the life until they could face and accept the environment. If not, human being is similar with Brett of scare and affected elegance and Robert Cohn in real life who doesn’t seize the principle of patience, pure loyalty and silent tolerance, and he is suddenly aware of his slow death and wants to see the world by traveling. He always runs after Brett with romantic dream, even though Brett doesn’t love him any more. Seeing the bullfight, every person is happy, except for Robert who beats up Romero because he sleeps with Brett. Being disappointed, he left his friends.
a. The Existentialism reflected in the unreasonable world
All things and events happened in The Sun Also Rises are irrational and absurd. Not only the person’s lives but also the events reveal the irrationality of the world. The world in The Sun Also Rises is irrational and absurd. In existentialists' eye, this world is their alien world. Some points of existentialism can be clearly found in the Sun Also Rises.
In the early of the 20th century, as the first single event of any significance, World War One is a global disaster for mankind. The most obvious and serious consequence was the loss of lives and materials. It was estimated that there were approximately 8, 700,000 dead and almost 17400000 people wounded(Zhu Yongtao, 2003:87) The war is destructive to people, because it not only subverts people's traditional belief and values and faith in rationality and achievements but also leaves people in a disordered society.
It's difficult to say what a profound effect the First World War produced on America. Before the war, the American was active and optimistic. The war was like a nightmare. So many young people went to the war and contributed their lives or returned with damages physically and mentally. By the time the war had ended, many people found they could no longer accept the traditional moral system Some were able to overcome the pain caused in the war and confusion they felt to get on with their lives while others simply found themselves incapable of existing under their country's virtuousness. The pre-war values of love, dream, optimism, prosperity and hope were shattered by the war. Everything in America seemed false and empty. They were trying to find a new system of values. These show some points of existentialism.
The First World War, believed by Americans to be "the war to end wars"', was the first time that America had ever fought on foreign soil. Inspired by Wilson's declaration, a lot of American youths went to Europe to fight for world's peace, freedom and happiness.( Adair,, 2001:87) Being prompted by the fanaticism of the militarism, they took part in World War I with rosy fantasy, but with their own eyes they saw the brutal killing and horrible death on the battlefields. And many of them lost their lives in vain; those who survived were physically injured and mentally killed, like the narrator of the Sun Also Rises, Jake Barnes and his friends. For them, the current moral standards, ethical senses and outlooks on life were completely destroyed by the war while not knowing how to eliminate it. So they were greatly depressed and felt that their future was lost. The deepened crisis of the western society after the war worsened the emptiness in their souls and their abnormal stubbornness and unruliness. They were divorced from people and they had no definite social ideals. They tried to escape reality, they wanted to get rid of their mental agonies with love, friendship, pleasures and amusements. However, the inactive thoughts and the unconventional life could not make them satisfied. On the contrary, under the great depression, they were trying to find the meaning in the meaningless society.
In Hemingway’s the Sun Also Rises, all Hemingway’s generation confronted a modern wasteland in the twenties, in which all the traditional values were destroyed by the First World War. The mood of disillusionment and despair permeated everywhere. People were deeply doubtful about their own existential values in the world. Hemingway, as a victim of the bloody "dirty" war, experiences the whole procedure of the collapse of the traditional values. He puts down his discovery in his fictions. It is evident that his characters are closely related to Hemingway the writer. All these reflect some points of the existentialism. For example:
Jake’s friend Bill said to him:
"You're an expatriate. You've lost touch with the soil. You get precious. Fake European standards have ruined you .You drink yourself to death. You become obsessed by sex. You spend all your time talking, not working. You are an expatriate, see? You hang around cafes” (Hemingway, 2002:92).
From what Bill said to Jake we can see that Jake lives a chaotic and disorderly life. Jake's life is meaningless that he drinks himself to death and hangs around cafes. He is also obsessed in pursuing sexual love and spends no time in working. His life reflects the chaos world which also shows the existentialism.
b. The Existentialism Expressed in Contrast of the Main Characters
In the Sun Also Rises, Hemingway sings the praise of brave actions and encourages people to create the meaningful life by their actions.( Hornby., 2001:65) Thereafter, Hemingway's novels embody some features of existentialist literature, and one of the evidences is reflected in the contract of the main characters who make choices and take actions.
As the "lost generation", Jack Barnes lost his way. He emerges as a man of intelligence, humor, and good sense. He has been able to earn his own living and come out of despair and pain, but his grief is still evident in his life. To explain his attitude toward life, he points out whatever he does is to discover the meaning of life.
He makes a fishing trip at Burguete. There he has left society behind him. In this place, Jack get away from all of his troubles and miseries and he tries to rediscover the pleasure and beauty of life; they are part of a healing process.
The elaborate description of the fishing excursion further illustrates the healthy environment of the nature:”…the sunlight came through the leaves in light patches on the grass. The trees were big, and the foliage was thick but it was not gloomy. There was no undergrowth, only the smooth grass, very green and fresh, and the big gray trees well spaced as though it were a park "(Hemingway, 1986:60).
Seeing the beautiful natural scene, Bill involuntarily utters the words of admiration: "This is country." In the peace and health, Jake and his friends can do everything they want: fishing, drinking without getting drunk and enjoying rustic lunches in the good air. Thus inspired by nature, they are able to see the meaning and purpose of a healthy life with sound morality.
Unlike Jake, Cohn is a symbol of extreme romanticism; he still has the romantic fantasy about love. That may because he didn’t join the war. Cohn's romanticism explains his key position in the parable. As the last chivalric hero to defend love, Cohn has no choice but to reveal by his absurd behaviors the fact that the romantic love has gone and there are no guiding codes which are followed by people in the past left in today’s society.
When Brett becomes infatuated with Romero, Cohn thinks that he has the right to win her lady back by fighting with the bullfighter.
"Why he went in and found Brett and the bull-fighter chap in the bull-fighter's room, and then he massacred the poor, blood bull-fighter”.
"He nearly killed the poor, bloody bull-fighter. Then Cohn wanted to take Brett away.”
“Wanted to make an honest woman of her, I imagine. Damned touching scene.”
He took along drink of the beer.
"He is an ass.”
"What happened?”
"Brett gave him what for. She told him off. 1 think she was rather good.”
"I'll bet she was,” Bill said.
"Then Cohn broke down and cried, and wanted to shake hands with the bull-fighter fellow. He wanted to shake hands with Brett, too.”
"I know. He shook hands with me.”
"Did he? Well, they weren't having any of it. The bull-fighter fellow was rather good.”
He didn't say much, but he kept getting up and getting knocked down again. Cohn couldn't knock him out. It must have been damned funny” (Hemingway, 2002:201-202).
Cohn's ridiculous action reveals that he is a romantic knight in this absurd world. Finally Cohn ends his effort with last one sentence:
"Now everything's gone. Everything” (175) is a conclusive summary for him.
As one of Brett's lovers, Cohn feels painful. For the sake of getting the true love, Cohn is always ready to receive the insults and humiliations from the public. On the one hand, he is ready to fight with others for his beloved—Brett. It is ok when he beats Jake and Mike for the sake of Brett. But, on the other hand, when he goes to Pedro’s home to rescue Brett, Brett asks Cohn to leave. So, when Brett stays together with Pedro, Cohn will leave Brett painfully.
Cohn was crying. There he was, face down on the bed, crying. He had on a white polo shirt, the kind he'd worn at Princeton. (Hemingway, 2002:145).
c. The Existentialism reflected in the Symbols
The descriptions about the bullfighting in this novel have rich symbolic connotations. Romero does a great job; he totally shows his skills in the bullfighting. The bullfighting in the Sun Also Rises is not only athletics, but also a ceremony, an art which contains rich complicated symbolized meanings. The bullfighting changes the death to a symbolize game, which means treat death with indifference in a great exited joy. But behind the bullfighting ceremony was the tragedy—the coming of death between the person and the bull. In the book the death of Vicente Girones declared the collapse of the symbolize structure of the bullfighting. People finally realized the inevitability of the death and the frail nature of the bullfighting ceremony which was established for surpassing the death. In the book Hemingway’s writing of the bullfighting had revealed his dual understanding of the symbolize structure of the bullfighting: bullfighting is a way that people face to the life tragedy which shows the courage to say “No” after known that the death would be sure to come. It’s also called the “Tough Guy Spirit”.
Pedro Romero had the greatness. He loved bull-fighting, and I think he loved the bulls and I think he loved Brett. Everything of which he could control the locality he did in front of her all that afternoon. Never once did he look up. He made it stronger that way, and did it for himself, too, as well as for her. Because he did not look up to ask if it pleased he did it all for himself inside and it strengthened him, and yet he did it for her, too. But he did not do it for her at any loss to himself. He gained it all through the afternoon (Hemingway, 2002:216).
Cohn's heavy hits could not defeat him. In the fight, Romero has been badly hurt, but his spirit has not been touched. Bearing the serious wounds, he returns to the bullring the next afternoon to perform for himself as well as for his lover. He has maintained his dignity. He finds grace under pressure. In this process, his existential values are realized.
Chapter Three The Reasons of Iceberg style’s Formation
I. Family Circumstance
In 1899, Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park of Chicago. His family was a wealthy one. As a Physician, Hemingway’s father was crazy about hunting and fishing. And Hemingway was taught by his father to shoot with a gun. From Hemingway’s novels, we can find Hemingway’s love for hunting and gun shooting and his enthusiasm in going to the open air. While his mother loved literature. Under the influence of his parents, little Hemingway had many hobbies, such as: hunting, fishing, literature, music, boxing, walking, collecting. He followed his father to enjoy his summer vocation by hunting and fishing. This wonderful childhood lays the foundation of later creative works and style.
II. Career
After graduating from the high school, Hemingway takes a job of news reporting for The Kansas City Star. This job lasts for about 6 months. The Kansas City Star is one of local famous newspapers and it is very strict with reporters. He tries his best to pave a way for his writing career by using the short and simple sentences, using the English words which are full of vigor and vitality, and using the positive statements rather than the negative ones in his news report. As for this point, English writer Her. O. Bass appraises profoundly: “Hemingway is a man with an ax. He chops the stereotyped expression of whole forest and revert the clear face of branch. He omits the expansion, investigation, and discussion; he cuts away the metaphor and cancels the old and stock style, finally, we can see the concise literature appears in the front of us.” (Zou Qin, 2009:117)In the final analysis, the simple and concise style is easy to find in Hemingway’s writing, as he clear up the confused yarn with great courage. For example, in The Sun Also Rises, there are some paragraphs which are made up of short sentences. “As we went through the forest, the road came to our eyes; as we went along this road, soon a green plain was in front of us and there were huge and dark mountains far away.”
Another example, “The storm never stopped all that day. The rain was driven down by the wind and water and mud were here and there. Some houses were broken by the heavy rainfall and the plaster became gray and wet.” “There were no branches and no fruits on the fruit trees of the vineyard. As the autumn went by, everything in the country became brown and dead.” (Spike, 2002:104) The above two paragraphs are selected from For Whom the Bell Rolls and they describe the confession of the hero who was on the road to retreat in sadness and gloom. In the short story of The Snows of Kilimanjaro, there are also short and simple sentences. For example, “three of the big birds were squatting foully; a dozen of the big birds were flying in the sky; as they passed quickly over the sky, their shadows also quickly flied away.” The short sentence depicts a picture of movement and silence, which forms a vivid contrast with Harry’s scared and unaided psychology. Later, recalling the period of being the reporter, Hemingway says: “This is the best standard in the writing.” which is obvious the foundation of Iceberg style.
In 1921, Hemingway went to Paris as the reporter of Toronto Star Weekly. As a reporter, he has no choice but to compress the words and phrases and shape a new language which is simple without adjective and adverb-nothing except for the bre, ed, bones and muscle. With no doubt, his early experience has a good influence on Hemingway’s style. In Paris, there Hemingway would meet writer such as Gertrude Stein, James Joyce and Ezra Pound who could help a young writer up the rungs of a career. Hemingway absorbs their styles and becomes the part of his Iceberg Theory. As the contemporary youths think, he joins in the World War I with glory and dream. Early in 1918 Hemingway responded to a Red Cross recruitment and signed on to be an ambulance driver in Italy. He got the wound in the war. And this cruel war destroys his faith and values. In that time, every thing becomes changeable and out of control. In the view of Hemingway, the only thing can be sure is that the reality and process. The superb vocabulary and flowery comments lost their breed and seem insincerity, for the writer, the unique power is the soul itself. This creative attitude determines Hemingway’s objective and rendering style.
III. Hobbies
From his childhood, he is fond of outdoor sports. In the 1930s, hunting, fishing and bullfight are the contents of his life. Especially, he indulges in the bullfight and this feature show his unique aesthetic interest. The ceremony of bullfight is plain and solemn, which makes people feel the tragic beauty. The clever bullfighter acts fast and neatly and his gesture is elegant and let Hemingway lost in it. So there is a style of bullfighter in his writing’s narration that the contents can be expressed clearly without over modification and discussion. Because one excess word and sentence will destroy the agile, attractive, shocked power. In the ceremony of bullfight, there is a rule that the bullfighter must do, when he meets the pain and death, how he acts to save himself, in which Hemingway’s style forms. Delmore Schwartz generalizes Hemingway’s belief well—“bravery, honesty, technique…one person should talk concisely, avoid using hubris language and concentrate the emotion into the less exclamation or restrain it”.
In 1932, Hemingway published Death in the Afternoon, he summarized his principle. He said: “ice moves in the sea, that seems solemn, because the one-eighth is shown on the water”, “you can enhance your ice by omitting the contents you know”. Iceberg theory goes through his works and writing career.
5 conclusions
For Jake, he doesn’t care about the mad world is going on, but he minds “that how to live his life”. He believes that if he can live, he can find the meaning of life. However, Jake should begin his life and destroy early chances to product the real meaning. He makes a correct choice and put it into practice, which comforts his soul and keep the esthetic, philosophy and brave gesture. In daily life, he persists one rule: if he wants to get what he wants, he must sacrifices something, “it is a fun for him to pay money”. Therefore, unlike Mike, Brett and Cohn, he has a stable job. He is a reporter and work well. Even though he pays money cautiously, he always relives his friends and colleagues. It is a good method to seek the meaning of life toward the nature. Just like Nike. Adams in Across the River and into the Trees, Jake and Bill go into the beautiful place. They leave the wasteland for vivid grass and climbing the pretty mountain. Jake can eliminate the mental torment in Paris by getting the health, rule and beauty from the nature.
As for Jake, the young bullfighter Romero displays the principle in the life. As human being must face the dilemma, he keeps the “career purity” that puts his body in the front of the bull and doesn’t make the false appearance. Romero and Jake are behind faith. The “Code Hero” of the bullfighter make Jake recovers the masculine and acquires the power to face the human environment. Like the “code hero” Romero, Jake disdains the pain and death in the real life and never give up. He thinks the source of meaning and value depends on keeping friends and responsibility between him and his friends. By the demand of Brett, he gives his hand to Brett and saves Brett in Madrid. He got the good hitting form Cohn because of his behaviors for Brett and Romero, nevertheless, he is just like the bull to comfort Cohn with miserable body and gives his sympathy and understanding. Romero sets an example of Jake, Jake can control himself effectively. Unlike Mike, Brett and Cohn who always work off their anger on other people and sacrifice others, Jake chooses to endure the pain. In San Sebastián, Jake determines to make a living away from home. At that moment, he thinks he isn’t handicapped and acquires more than usual life. He gets the depuration, restoration, and regeneration by surfing the stilly and cool sea. He isn’t satisfied with the swimming in the shadow water, on the contrary, he swims into the abysmal sea with open eyes and has a good understanding of the method that how to live the world. Jake shows the beauty of “Code Hero” shined from tragic fate, which encourages people struggle and live a vivid life. Additionally, it also shows the pretty of human beings and the power human beings can display in nature.
After the careful observation of bullfight and the real human environment, we find he massacre in the bullring reveals the human world’s war, violence, pain and death; the ridiculous bullfighting discloses the hollowness and daze of human beings after the war; through the bullfighter trying his best to love the bull and seeking the meaning of life, we can find the meaning of life just when we keep the friendship, love, responsibility and duty of friend in the inane, indifferent, vicious and stupid world; The bullfighter shows elegant style of the pure career, which reveals that if we control ourselves well, have enough patience and be particular about the morality, we can confront bravely the reality in the face of pain and death and shows “grace under pressure”. The bullring is a miniature of real life. The iceberg is on the one-eighth water, and the real life is under the seven-eighths of iceberg. Earnest Hemingway is a charming and legendary hero who is admired by the public not only for his unique writing style but also for his deep insight into the human nature.
