Wednesday, October 15, 2014

The Simplistic Style of The Sun Also Rises

      Ernest Hemingway uses very simple sentences in his novel, The Sun Also Rises. The style is very effective at enhancing the reader's experience because it allows the reader time to stop and think. In chapter fourteen, Jake contemplates how nothing in life is free: "I thought I had paid for everything. Not like the woman pays and pays and pays. No idea of retribution or punishment. Just exchange of values. You gave up something. You paid some way for everything that was good" (Hemingway 119). The syntax Hemingway uses is quite unique. Most authors like to use more complex sentence structures, dazzling the reader with their use of the english language; however, Hemingway often times does not write in complete sentences, electing to use a period where a comma should be used. The use of period, while technically not correct grammar, is most definitely beneficial to the reader. He or she is given time to stop and think about what is happening in the novel, making it very easy to comprehend the content of the novel. Other authors such as Jane Austen and Charles Dickens often times use sentences that are long and difficult to comprehend.
      In addition, Hemingway's simplistic style effectively puts vivid images in the reader's mind. In chapter twelve, when Jake is in Burguete with Bill and Harris, they walk outside to go fishing. Jake describes the scene: "It was beech wood and the trees were very old. Their rooms bulked above the ground and the branches were twisted... The trees were big, and the foliage was thick but it was not gloomy" (Hemingway 94). Hemingway does not use any metaphors or similes or any device that an author would use to create imagery. He simply uses adjectives, only describing the trees as "big"and the branches as "twisted." The reader can build off the simple adjectives and create a scene of his or her own. If Hemingway used more complicated language to describe the scene, the reader would have less free will to create a scene of his or her own.
     
The Wifi Also Matters

      Cohn and I were walking down the streets to meet Brett at the cafe. The roads were filled with angry cab drivers, and the buildings rose high and tall. We decided to walk instead of taking a cab. There was typical New York traffic. 
      I saw Brett sitting under the canopy outside. The sun shined behind me, and her face was gleaming in the light. She had a beautiful face. Cohn and I sat down with her.
     "It's beautiful out isn't it?" I said to her.
     "It is, and the wine makes it so much better."
      Cohn said, "Wine makes any day better."
      "I'm tweeting that."
      I pulled out my phone but I couldn't pull up twitter, but it wasn't working. And then I realized why.
      "What the hell, Cohn!"
      "What?"
      "You brought me to a cafe with no wifi. Go to hell."
      I got up and left. I like Cohn and I love Brett, but the wifi also matters.

Works Cited
Hemingway, Ernest. The sun also rises. The Hemingway library ed. New York: Scribner, 2014. Print.