On its surface, Jake’s narration in The Sun Also Rises appears simplistic and straightforward. His sentences are to the point, succinct and uncomplicated. But Jake himself at the beginning of the novel says, “I mistrust all frank and simple people,” (12) and even he is not exempt from his own rule. Any sentence observed individually holds little to no value, each too seemingly simplistic and frank; it is only in the context of the rest of the story where his words suddenly take on greater value. In this way, examining Jake’s frequent focus on youth throughout the story allows individual lines to become meaningful. In broader context, youth becomes representative of Jake’s younger self before the war, not necessarily young in age, but mentally
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From the beginning of the novel, younger people are established as more romantically attractive. This idea is first demonstrated through the nuanced words girl and woman, and the difference in their connotation based on where and how they are used. Girl, far more youthful than woman, is used almost exclusively to discuss more romantically exciting women whereas woman is used for more matronly and romantically bland characters. The prostitute Georgette is described as a “good-looking girl” (23) and Frances gets mad over Jake’s mention of a “swell girl in Strasbourg” (14). Frances, in comparison, is referred to only as a “lady” or a “woman” (27). Jake later calls particular attention to his view of youth as attractiveness when his typical style of narration undergoes a shift. Lying on a raft opposite a boy and girl, Jake notices that, “The girl had undone the top strap of her bathing-suit and was browning her back. The boy lay face downward on the raft and talked to her. She laughed at things he said, and turned her brown back in the sun” (239). Again Jake describes the couple as a “girl” and “boy,” recognizing their youth. But less obviously, Jake recounts this scene at a slower pace than those that come either before or after it, and bookended by descriptions of him swimming, the reader is made aware of his …show more content…
In many ways, the bullfighting ring can be viewed as a symbol for war. Bullfighters like soldiers need the bravery and the skill to fight, and the presence of danger and possibility of death is a constant in both cases. In the ring, Romero is known both for his youth and for his genuine ability to toy with danger and death. Even though “That Romero lad is just a child” (87) he still “HERE IS A QUOTE ABOUT HIM BEING GENUINE.” But Romero’s fight follows one by an older, retired. The idea of youth and faded ability after leaving bullfighting is reflective of Jake’s experience after leaving the
From the beginning of the novel, younger people are established as more romantically attractive. This idea is first demonstrated through the nuanced words girl and woman, and the difference in their connotation based on where and how they are used. Girl, far more youthful than woman, is used almost exclusively to discuss more romantically exciting women whereas woman is used for more matronly and romantically bland characters. The prostitute Georgette is described as a “good-looking girl” (23) and Frances gets mad over Jake’s mention of a “swell girl in Strasbourg” (14). Frances, in comparison, is referred to only as a “lady” or a “woman” (27). Jake later calls particular attention to his view of youth as attractiveness when his typical style of narration undergoes a shift. Lying on a raft opposite a boy and girl, Jake notices that, “The girl had undone the top strap of her bathing-suit and was browning her back. The boy lay face downward on the raft and talked to her. She laughed at things he said, and turned her brown back in the sun” (239). Again Jake describes the couple as a “girl” and “boy,” recognizing their youth. But less obviously, Jake recounts this scene at a slower pace than those that come either before or after it, and bookended by descriptions of him swimming, the reader is made aware of his …show more content…
In many ways, the bullfighting ring can be viewed as a symbol for war. Bullfighters like soldiers need the bravery and the skill to fight, and the presence of danger and possibility of death is a constant in both cases. In the ring, Romero is known both for his youth and for his genuine ability to toy with danger and death. Even though “That Romero lad is just a child” (87) he still “HERE IS A QUOTE ABOUT HIM BEING GENUINE.” But Romero’s fight follows one by an older, retired. The idea of youth and faded ability after leaving bullfighting is reflective of Jake’s experience after leaving the