90 pages • 3 hours read
Ernest HemingwayThe Sun Also Rises
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1926A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
Bullfighting
The bullfights carry symbolic value in multiple ways. For one, they represent the group’s sexual dynamics. The castrated steers are largely depicted as wallflowers who hold value in the pain that is inflicted upon them. In these ways they are connected to Jake, whose impotence pushes him to enable Brett’s sexual sidelines as a substitute for his own desire for her.
The sexually charged bulls, on the other hand, become the center of attention. In a way, they are seduced by Romero, who has great control over them; he ultimately goes into them with his sword, which can be seen as a phallic symbol. These characteristics draw a parallel between Brett and the bulls. Like the animals, she is drawn to the flag, hoping it will lead to sexual and emotional satisfaction.
Bullfighting also represents the decline of traditional heroism. Jake appreciates the truly passionate bullfighters because they display “grace under pressure,” which is what Hemingway considered to be the definition of courage. As a combat veteran, Jake believes that the only way to be fully alive is to directly and honestly confront death, which is what Romero does. In the age of mechanized warfare, a soldier’s strength and courage can easily be made irrelevant by bombs dropped from the sky or a barrage of machine-gun fire. Through bullfighting, however, one can clearly and simply see the courage displayed in a one-on-one battle between man and beast. Through this dynamic, Jake comes to see Romero as a heroic figure.
Automobiles
Throughout the book, taxi and bus rides facilitate the group’s wandering nature and help them seek transient pleasures. After Jake ditches Georgette, he goes for a taxi ride with Brett. As they cruise through city streets, he sees that “Brett’s face [is] white and the long line of her neck [is] show[ing] in the bright light of the flares” (33). When he then kisses her, the transience of the taxi ride parallels the fleeting moments of Jake and Brett’s romantic affection.
Whenever members of the group are carried by automobiles, they are moved both physically and emotionally. During the car ride into Pamplona, Jake sees the beauty in the scenery as they drive. In mutual acknowledgment of their excitement, Jake and Bill then nod at each other. While riding the bus to Burguete, Jake and Bill revel in the company of the Basque peasants. The setting is idyllic, and their new friends bring excitement to the journey.
Shaky Hands
As the fiesta nears its end, shaky hands indicate both characters’ alcoholism and their internal struggles. When Mike talks about Brett’s relationship with Romero, as well as her troubled history with her abusive ex, his hand starts to shake. Even though he sometimes drunkenly insults her lovers, he claims that he doesn’t mind Brett’s affairs. Here, we see a more tender side of him that reveals he feels deeply hurt by her pursuits of other men. Though he doesn’t explicitly reveal his emotional wound, the shaking hand suggests an internal struggle that manifests externally. Mike lies and says he is going to sleep, but he is actually going off to drink by himself.
Shortly thereafter, Brett comes to the table to join Jake and Bill. Jake observes that when she “started to lift the glass mug […] her hand shook” (210). Brett presents a carefree exterior, but as indicated by her shaky hand, it masks her internal struggles. In the book’s closing pages, as she and Jake have drinks in Madrid, she again exhibits this symptom.
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By Ernest Hemingway
