Schmigalle, Gunther. “How People Go to Hell:” Pessimism, Tragedy, and Affinity to Schopenhauer in The Sun Also Rises. Rev. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway Review vol. 25 (2005): 9-21.
This criticism offers a somewhat gloomy view of the novel for the reader, but it constructs this view from a philosophical source, Arthur Schopenhauer. Schmigalle’s point of view is that, after careful reading of Schopenhauer’s work on philosophical pessimism, Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises falls into the genre of tragedy because of its close connection to this philosophical traditions of pessimism. Though Schmigalle has a total of seven points in which he argues his outlook on the novel’s narration, his first, The Epigraphs, is the most important in our situation. The passage from Ecclesiastes in particular, Schmigalle writes, is “not on regeneration but on repetition”(11) ultimately means a “non-existence of progress.”(11) Interpreting the exert in this way is how Schmigalle connects Hemingway to Schopenhauer. This section of the criticism will be the main focus of this commentary for the sake of helping the reader to answer the research question.
At first glace, this might seem a dismal way to look at the novel but Schmigalle reminds the reader that philosophical pessimism is different from everyday pessimism in that philosophical pessimism is simply a more realistic way of looking at the and its overall negatives.Its rather easy to agree with Schmigalle that The Sun Also Rises is full of negatives, but does Hemingway ever lead us to believe that the SAR characters overcome these negatives? On the Contrary, Hemingway makes his characters repeat their mistakes. As a result, repetition plays a large role in the novel and if the reader keeps this in mind, he or she can see what Scmigalle is getting at. For example, this idea leads the reader to see the epigraph from Ecclesiastes as a description of the world and it’s never ending repetition, not its regeneration. This repetition is the reason things seem new but in actuality, they have happened many times before. With this view, the reader might consider if Jake’s struggle is worth any value; I believe Schopenhauer and Schmigalle would say no.
Showing posts with label Repetition as Motif. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Repetition as Motif. Show all posts
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
A Beaten Generation
Wagner, Linda W. The Sun Also Rises: One Debt to Imagism. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. 103-115. Print.
Wagner’s article sheds light on the allusion to Ecclesiastes in The Sun Also Rises by explaining that the novel is not a picture of the lost generation. Wagner points out that the epigraph is in many ways intended by Hemingway to be a contradiction to Gertrude Stein’s remark. Overall, Wagner wants to show the symbolism between the changing times and ever changing social acceptability in society. Wagner's point of view is one of a scholar's train of thought at times and as a sociologist at others. She wants readers to think in depth about the use of repetition and imagery, but also wants to convey the inevitable gap that occures from generation to generation.
Wagner also makes the interpretation that rather than being a “lost generation,” they are a “beaten generation,” worn down by war and constantly changing social norms. This however begs the question, what generation is not lost or beaten down? Each generation experiences unique social hardships, however despite our difference we all coexist. Society is in a constant state of change and generational cohorts must find their niche. A connection can be made between Gertrude Stein’s remark about Hemingway’s generation and the inevitable generational gap that must have occurred between Gertrude Stein and the generation that came before her. It would be ignorant to assume that one generation is worse than the next or the last. At one point, Wagner refers to Jake as being a sacrificial figure, but that this is overshadowed by the death of a young man who was killed by a bull. The wording used in the article allows the reader to understand the connection between life and death as it applies to the title and the epigraph. The reader might notice the pattern that is conveyed through the epigraph is also carried out through the patterns in Hemingway’s story via Jake's narration.When considering patterns, one would be overwhelmed with the patterns and repetition throughout the novel. By pointing out even more patterns and incidences of repetition, Wagner inspires the thought of Brett as an image or as an allusion to the sun. That is Brett, herself, is an example of repetition. After all, she met Jake while working as a nurse during the Great War and cared for him until he regained his strength. Similarly, she fell in “love” with Romero, the bull fighter, while taking care of him after being severely beaten up by Cohn. Brett falls in love almost habitually. She comes into men’s lives, loves them, makes them fall in love with her, and then leaves, however in time she is likely to return again. If it can be accepted that this were the case and Brett were in fact the sun, then the title guides the reader’s judgment in a very different direction. Instead of perceiving Brett as a reckless man-eater, the reader might see her as an invigorating burst of fresh air in the lives of the stale and mundane men that she “loves.”
Wagner’s article sheds light on the allusion to Ecclesiastes in The Sun Also Rises by explaining that the novel is not a picture of the lost generation. Wagner points out that the epigraph is in many ways intended by Hemingway to be a contradiction to Gertrude Stein’s remark. Overall, Wagner wants to show the symbolism between the changing times and ever changing social acceptability in society. Wagner's point of view is one of a scholar's train of thought at times and as a sociologist at others. She wants readers to think in depth about the use of repetition and imagery, but also wants to convey the inevitable gap that occures from generation to generation.
Wagner also makes the interpretation that rather than being a “lost generation,” they are a “beaten generation,” worn down by war and constantly changing social norms. This however begs the question, what generation is not lost or beaten down? Each generation experiences unique social hardships, however despite our difference we all coexist. Society is in a constant state of change and generational cohorts must find their niche. A connection can be made between Gertrude Stein’s remark about Hemingway’s generation and the inevitable generational gap that must have occurred between Gertrude Stein and the generation that came before her. It would be ignorant to assume that one generation is worse than the next or the last. At one point, Wagner refers to Jake as being a sacrificial figure, but that this is overshadowed by the death of a young man who was killed by a bull. The wording used in the article allows the reader to understand the connection between life and death as it applies to the title and the epigraph. The reader might notice the pattern that is conveyed through the epigraph is also carried out through the patterns in Hemingway’s story via Jake's narration.When considering patterns, one would be overwhelmed with the patterns and repetition throughout the novel. By pointing out even more patterns and incidences of repetition, Wagner inspires the thought of Brett as an image or as an allusion to the sun. That is Brett, herself, is an example of repetition. After all, she met Jake while working as a nurse during the Great War and cared for him until he regained his strength. Similarly, she fell in “love” with Romero, the bull fighter, while taking care of him after being severely beaten up by Cohn. Brett falls in love almost habitually. She comes into men’s lives, loves them, makes them fall in love with her, and then leaves, however in time she is likely to return again. If it can be accepted that this were the case and Brett were in fact the sun, then the title guides the reader’s judgment in a very different direction. Instead of perceiving Brett as a reckless man-eater, the reader might see her as an invigorating burst of fresh air in the lives of the stale and mundane men that she “loves.”
Monday, December 7, 2009
What Jake's Repetition Reveals
Budick, E. Miller. "'The Sun Also Rises': Hemingway and the Art of Repetition." University of Toronto Quarterly, 56. 2 (1986): 319-337. Print.
What Budick is attempting to convey with this article is the connection and overwhelming symbolism of the epigraph within the novel.This article helped shed light on how the Allusion to Ecclesiastes guides Jakes narrative technique in several ways as well. Budick wants to show the reader that Ecclesiastes 1:5 is almost entirely based on the idea of repetition and human error. It become obvious that Budick himself is very appreciative of both the bible and Hemingway's usage of it. The overall message of the article is that the sun will rise again, no matter what. The sun will rise as will it set and no matter how many things in life, or in time change, some things will remain constant.
Thus, the sun could be perceived as a symbol of ultimate dependability. Surprisingly enough, the article attempts to answer the afore mentioned question and does an adequate job of allowing the reader to understand the relationship and the feelings that Hemingway held about Ecclesiastes. Knowing that Hemingway viewed Ecclesiastes as being about fullness rather than fulfillment helps guide the readers understanding of Jake’s narrative. Although Jake had everything he needed to live his life, he felt unfulfilled and was unable to fulfill the ultimate purpose of a marriage, which in this case would be reproduction. In this way, Budick’s writing suggests that the title is of a pessimistic nature. Jake goes on living with his impotence because simply being impotent is not a cause of death, but to him is a life sentence. Every day the sun rises and every day the sun brings something new, yet in Jake’s eyes, all remains the same.Budick also provides further understanding of the meaning behind the epigraph by stating, "It assures us that the sun also rises, the earth endures forever. This fact of earthly richness, of fertile and regenerative repetition, functions as a compensation for life’s endless futility. Furthermore, by reflecting and commenting on the pattern of endless cycling and recycling, by registering and interpreting this cycling, the text makes it available to human consciousness as a confirmation of its own potential growth and development.”This statement suggests that children too are a form of repetition. They are raised the way their parents want them to be, as slightly better forms of themselves. When thinking of regeneration in that sense, it does seem to be futile or in vain. However, the article is not trying to portray Jake as a vain narrator, but more as a person who longs to feel masculine. Over and over again, just like the sun, Jake repeats himself; his words, his thoughts, his feelings and his actions. Jake is condemned to a life that he is displeased with. He must accept that until he can change his view on life, the sun will just keep rising and setting; only finalizing his pointless existence.
What Budick is attempting to convey with this article is the connection and overwhelming symbolism of the epigraph within the novel.This article helped shed light on how the Allusion to Ecclesiastes guides Jakes narrative technique in several ways as well. Budick wants to show the reader that Ecclesiastes 1:5 is almost entirely based on the idea of repetition and human error. It become obvious that Budick himself is very appreciative of both the bible and Hemingway's usage of it. The overall message of the article is that the sun will rise again, no matter what. The sun will rise as will it set and no matter how many things in life, or in time change, some things will remain constant.
Thus, the sun could be perceived as a symbol of ultimate dependability. Surprisingly enough, the article attempts to answer the afore mentioned question and does an adequate job of allowing the reader to understand the relationship and the feelings that Hemingway held about Ecclesiastes. Knowing that Hemingway viewed Ecclesiastes as being about fullness rather than fulfillment helps guide the readers understanding of Jake’s narrative. Although Jake had everything he needed to live his life, he felt unfulfilled and was unable to fulfill the ultimate purpose of a marriage, which in this case would be reproduction. In this way, Budick’s writing suggests that the title is of a pessimistic nature. Jake goes on living with his impotence because simply being impotent is not a cause of death, but to him is a life sentence. Every day the sun rises and every day the sun brings something new, yet in Jake’s eyes, all remains the same.Budick also provides further understanding of the meaning behind the epigraph by stating, "It assures us that the sun also rises, the earth endures forever. This fact of earthly richness, of fertile and regenerative repetition, functions as a compensation for life’s endless futility. Furthermore, by reflecting and commenting on the pattern of endless cycling and recycling, by registering and interpreting this cycling, the text makes it available to human consciousness as a confirmation of its own potential growth and development.”This statement suggests that children too are a form of repetition. They are raised the way their parents want them to be, as slightly better forms of themselves. When thinking of regeneration in that sense, it does seem to be futile or in vain. However, the article is not trying to portray Jake as a vain narrator, but more as a person who longs to feel masculine. Over and over again, just like the sun, Jake repeats himself; his words, his thoughts, his feelings and his actions. Jake is condemned to a life that he is displeased with. He must accept that until he can change his view on life, the sun will just keep rising and setting; only finalizing his pointless existence.
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