The Sun Also Rises is a book that is written by the misanthrope, because this is expected to see some of that hate in Hemingway’s writing. Considering the time it was written, it was also socially accepted to think the way Hemingway did. It is a book that clearly shows antisemitism, racism, homophobia, etc. but that’s what makes the book interesting. It’s full of things no one is willing to say now-days. It’s a book that has a short plot, a repetitive one, that makes readers feel as if they’re living Jake’s everyday life. So, why shouldn’t we read the book? Why do people seek to look out for the controversial part of everything and cancel it because of it?
The dislikable parts are not completely an excuse to hate it nor is the story it has.
One of the interesting things of the book is the hate that is expressed in it. It’s the way it’s mentioned and nobody seems to disagree on it, something that cannot happen anymore, because everyone is so eager to share their worthless opinion and it always gets criticism. People can’t say what they truly want since someone might get mad. The misanthropist writing is clear in the book, Hemingway makes no effort of hiding it, and even if what he has to say about others isn’t nice, it’s a great part of the book to see the characters that are affected by it. Robert Cohn is a perfect example, they all hated him for the simple fact that he, a jew, existed near them. They made him a villain and treated him as one, even made him act like one. Robert Cohn is an antagonist the main characters created because of their hate. Readers can see how he was affected by the mistreatment he received.
Another argument to not read the book is that it barely has a plot, a repetitive one at that, we get the insight of the characters every-day life. Is somebody’s life not repetitive? Is it interesting enough that everyday is completely different from the last? No, no one leads a life like that because that repetitiveness is what the human being calls routine, a basic thing we all need to lead and enjoy a good life. We see Jake and his friends’ routine in every chapter, our lives are as boring and exciting as theirs, days are different than others but, at the same time, they are the same as the last. There’s no avoiding that.
The Sun Also Rises is a book that should be read and taught. The dislikable parts are not completely an excuse to hate it nor is the story it has, but it’s understandable that it is not a book for everyone to enjoy, it’s understandable that some parts are hard to take for some. Meanwhile, they’re not reasons for canceling it and the ones that do like it.
For the short time I had to write this essay I like how it turned out. I understand why most people don’t like this book but that doesn’t make it completely unlikable and unreadable either. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think it’s worth reading.
I really like the side you chose for this paper. I disagreed with you at first, but your writing convinced me to consider a different side. I like how you argue that the ‘morally questionable’ parts of the book are there to add interest and emphasize the lives they lived, rather than to just add hatred.
I found it interesting that you have evidence for both sides of the arguments. I like how you talked about how the ideaologies appeared in the book were socially acceptable when it was written. Howevere, I do think that you should expand on that by giving an example from other works.