Will the sun also rise?

It was 103 degrees yesterday. The heat index registered 115 degrees. Thermometers were malfunctioning all over the sweltering city. It felt closer to 500 degrees. In the shade. At 9 am. An unmerciful heat wave has descended upon large parts of the country and refuses to release its suffocating grip. Heat records are being shattered from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic region. It is hot, muggy and unbearable. During a heat wave, meteorologists issue extreme heat advisories or warnings. Residents are advised to drink plenty of fluids and avoid spending too much time outdoors. They should warn us to avoid movement altogether. Walking anywhere is unwise. Running is impractical and irresponsible. I am a seasoned runner, and I usually heed the precautions to avoid exercising outdoors. Yet I made the mistake of underestimating the heat and defied the hostile elements. Several days ago, I went out for an early morning run. I thought it was safe, but I overheated at 7:30 in the morning and suffered heat exhaustion. My body has shut down and the mere thought of running in the sun sends me into shock. As I ride out the heat wave, I have taken refuge in my books, since I can’t run.

I reread several of Ernest Hemingway’s novels and short stories. Among them was “The Sun also Rises.” The novel centers on a journalist from Kansas City, Jake Barnes, and his circle of friends. They’re American and British expatriates living in or traveling through Paris as they make their way to Pamplona, Spain for the Festival of San Fermin. It’s widely regarded as the quintessential novel of the “Lost Generation”—a term coined for the generation that came of age during World War I. “The Sun also Rises” is one of my all-time favorite novels, and I always recommend it to people unfamiliar with Hemingway’s oeuvre. The novel was published in 1926 and remains one of his masterpieces. It received mixed reviews upon its publication but critics hailed Hemingway’s lean, clear and spare writing style---plain, declarative sentences devoid of adjectives. He adopted a modernist writing style, in which understatement provided more heft to a sentence than exaggeration. Hemingway pared away sentimentalism and presented images and scenes without explaining their meaning or describing them in detail. He truly believed that to write authentically each word had to be meticulously chosen for its simplicity and authenticity. Hemingway was more preoccupied with conveying action and characterization than at hinting at the point of a story. The true meaning of a piece resides away from the surface story because the root of the story lies below the surface. The 1920’s are over but a novel like “The Sun also Rises” still resonates with readers like me 86 years after it was written.

“The Sun also Rises” is an absurd and absorbing narrative, which is what makes it so beautiful and poignant. An in-depth analysis of the novel on my part would be imprudent and inadequate. The novel brilliantly depicts men and women (not young lads and damsels) mired in their disillusions and disappointments, struggling to adhere to a moral code in a shallow, hedonistic and morally bankrupt world, wandering aimlessly from one café or bar (thrill) to the next as they fail to commit emotionally to intimate relationships. I’ve read the novel numerous times, and I’m always captivated by two of the most arresting elements of the text.

The love affair between Jake and Lady Brett Ashley is frustrating and heartbreaking, like most affairs. One senses Jake truly loves Brett and even though Brett claims she loves Jake, her actions belie her words. They can’t be together due to several factors, chief among them Jake’s impotence and Brett’s promiscuity. There are more reasons why their love is doomed but Jake’s physical affliction is something they can’t get past. Ultimately, they can’t consummate their love, which is a crippling blow to both of them. Brett is one of the most witty, fascinating and powerful characters in Hemingway’s canon. On the one hand, she embodies the independence and sexual liberation of a new era. On the other hand, she is fickle, dangerous and desperate for reassurance and love. In her presence, men drink excessively and come to blows. Every man she meets falls in love with her and she has many affairs throughout the novel, even though she’s engaged to Mike. She leaves a string of wounded suitors in her wake, including Jake. But Jake remains loyal to her until the very end. He never leaves her side and rescues her time and again when she needs him the most.

There is more to be said of Jake and Brett’s relationship, but this isn’t a literary analysis on “The Sun also Rises.” Hemingway’s characters are memorable because they’re real. We relate to these characters because they remind us of people in our lives. When I read the passages between Jake and Brett, I am reminded of my own doomed love affairs.

Relationships end or spiral out of control for different reasons, but I suspect most people sabotage their romantic relationships. I readily admit I’ve sabotaged many a romantic relationship in the past or calmly watched as partners sabotaged the relationships for me. For example, my last relationship ended when my boyfriend moved to another country. While we were together, I got swept up in our romance and believed him when he uttered the words of love we all yearn to hear. Time played a crucial role in the intensity of our feelings. We both knew our days together were numbered. I now see with the clarity and guidance of time how quickly our relationship progressed. There was no time to slow down and ponder the true nature of our feelings. The moments we shared were all that mattered. But even then I knew I loved him like I had loved no other in such an awfully long time. How did I sabotage our relationship? I’m not certain but the relationship was doomed from the start.

In addition to hopeless romantic relationships, the second aspect of the novel I find compelling is Hemingway’s characterization of the “Lost Generation.” Hemingway popularized the term, although he credits the phrase to Gertrude Stein, an American writer who lived in France most of her life. She acted as a mentor and patron to Hemingway during his early writing career. The expression “Lost Generation” was attributed to a man, a garage owner who serviced Stein’s car. He launched the epithet at a young mechanic who failed to repair Stein’s car in a satisfactory manner. The owner shouted at the young man: “You are all a génération perdue.” Stein added: “That is what you are. That’s what you all are…all of you young people who served in the war. You are all a lost generation.”  The “Lost Generation” was widely viewed as decadent, depraved and permanently damaged by World War I. But to Hemingway, who uses the term as an epigraph, the “Lost Generation” was resilient and strong. “The Sun also Rises” exemplifies the post-war expatriate generation. It’s true that Jake is permanently damaged by the war. But he’s noble, strong, and resilient. He works hard for a living as a journalist and always pays the bills. Hemingway juxtaposes Jake’s strong work ethic and workingman image with the leisurely and indulgent lifestyle of the wealthy class. For example, the Count and Brett don’t work and rely on their inheritances to sustain their privileged lifestyles. But this is not the way to live a genuine and authentic life. People who can’t pay up and refuse to work for a living are indeed a lost generation. Brett always waits for money to come in and depends on others to pay for her drinks, marriages and divorces. She plans on marrying Mike, an “undischarged bankrupt.” In effect, she’s banking on being supported by someone who has no means to support her. What rot, as Brett would say. In contrast, Jake understands everything in life has a price. Sooner or later the bill comes and when it arrives, you better be damned sure you can pay it. You pay for things some way: through experience, by learning about them, by taking chances or through money. The point is anything that is any good and worth having has a price. Sure Jake loses his way at times but he’s not lost because he realizes everything has value. But even if the majority of the characters in “The Sun also Rises” appear lost, there is a redeeming quality to the way Hemingway depicts them. With Hemingway’s characters, you learn not to judge. You see them with all their horrors and imperfections without criticizing their faults harshly. Hemingway refuses to compromise the true nature of his protagonists. They are faulty and lonely human beings dealing with the aftermath of war and trauma. Their actions ring true and Hemingway never makes them act in direct contradiction to their true nature. He’s honest about their intentions and doesn’t cheat with them. At the end of the novel, one is left to ponder several questions: Will this motley crew of thirty-something expatriates find what they’re looking for? Do they know what they’re looking for? You don’t know. But you get the sense that some will rise above the emptiness, like the sun.                   

I have often felt lost in this generation. The year is more than halfway over. It has felt like a beautiful nightmare. I've been unemployed for 5 months, and it's starting to dawn on me that pursuing a degree in Creative Writing degree will not increase my odds of landing a stable and permanent job. The job market is unstable and unforgiving for Liberal Arts degree holders. Pursuing a second Liberal Arts degree is impractical and suicidal. I’ve resigned myself to this fate, like I have with so many other things in my life. The economy has damaged my aspirations and dreams. But I am resilient and strong. I am now more convinced than ever that there is value in getting my stories published. If I can take a small sliver of my past experiences and bring them to life for others to read, then I will have done something right with my time on this earth that abideth forever. I won’t waver from my commitment to the people I love and the images I want to immortalize.