The Significance of the Title of The Sun Also Rises :: Hemingway Sun Also Rises Essays

The Significance of the Title of The Sun Also Rises A good title is one of the most important elements of a book. A good title can hint at the theme and is something to keep in mind while reading a book itself. A very effective title is one that teases the reader, makes him ponder over its meaning and relationship to the book. One such book/title is The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. The title suggests an importance of time and a cyclical motif. Yet it also has a hopeful tone, focusing more on beginnings than on endings. There are many cycles in the book and one of the most evident is that of Lady Brett Ashley and men. Brett has affairs with Cohn and Romero in the course of the book. In both cases there is a process of wooing, acceptance, and eventual rejection that takes place. It is also suggested that having affairs is a common practice for her, making that a cycle in and of itself. The idea of cycles is also evident in a more ritualized form through the bull fighting and the Catholicism. Bull fighting is a very stylized affair that is mentioned throughout the whole book. Catholicism is also very ritualistic and is concerned with a religious cycle of life, death, and resurrection. Both add to the cycle motif Hemingway creates. One of the best examples of cycles and the passage of time is the contrast of Romero and Belmonte. Belmonte is an old bull- fighter who has passed his prime; his sun is setting. Romero is a young bull- fighter who is just coming into his own; his sun is rising. Belmonte, "no longer had his greatest moments in the bull- ring. He was not sure that there were any great moments"(219). This contrast suggests the cycle of life and death. Good bull- fighters come and go. Just as Romero is in his prime, someday he too will be an older bullfighter, unable to move with the same grace he had in his youth. This cycle of life and death can be seen on a much larger scale by looking at the ex-patriots. The ex-patriots are members of the post- World War I generation that is sometimes referred to as the Lost Generation. They went through the horrors of War and depression in their young lives and found themselves living in Europe and seemingly devoid of morals, spirituality, and purpose.