AP 12 Study Guide for The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
The purpose of this study guide is to provide you with information and background that will hopefully enrich your
experience and complement/guide discussion for our classroom novel, The Sun Also Rises. You are responsible for
taking note of the reading schedule and staying current.
Author Bio—Ernest Hemingway 1899-1961
1923
1940
Cover of LIFE July 1961
Ernest Miller Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899, in Oak Park, Illinois, a conservative upper-middle-class suburb of Chicago. He
graduated from high school in 1917 and worked as a reporter for the Kansas City Star. Hemingway sailed to Europe in May 1918 to serve as
a volunteer ambulance driver for the Italian Red Cross during World War I. Within weeks, he suffered a serious injury from fragments of an
exploding mortar shell on the Italian front. He recovered in a hospital in Milan, where he had a romantic relationship with a nurse, Agnes von
Kurowsky. This incident provided the inspiration for his novel A Farewell to Arms, published in 1929.
When the nineteen-year-old Hemingway returned home in 1919, his parents did not understand the psychological trauma he had suffered
during the war, and they pestered him to get a job or go to college. His short story “Soldier’s Home” draws on his difficulties in coping with his
parents’ and friends’ romanticized ideals of war.
Hemingway eventually began working for the Toronto Star Weekly. He married his first wife, Hadley Richardson, in 1 9 2 1 . He became the
European correspondent for the Toronto Daily Star and moved to Paris with his wife in December 1 9 2 1 . There, Hemingway became friends
with the poet Ezra Pound, the writer Gertrude Stein, the artists Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso, and other individuals belonging to the group of
prominent expatriate writers and artists living in postwar Paris. (The movie Midnight in Paris starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams
portrays this group and their lives. 2011) Hemingway’s reputation began to grow both as a journalist and as an author of fiction. His novel The
Sun Also Rises, published in 1 9 2 6 , established him as one of the preeminent writers of his day.
Amid the increasing literary success that followed the publication of The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway’s marriage began to fall apart, and he
divorced Richardson in 1 9 2 7 . He quickly remarried, to a fashion reporter named Pauline Pfeiffer. In 1 9 2 8 , they moved to Key West, Florida,
where they lived for over a decade. Hemingway’s life, however, was far from rosy. His father, Clarence Hemingway, committed suicide
in 1 9 2 8 after developing serious health and financial problems, and Hemingway engaged in an affair with a woman named Martha Gelhorn,
which led to his divorce from Pfeiffer. He married Gelhorn in 1940.
In 1937, Hemingway traveled to Spain to cover the Spanish Civil War for the North American Newspaper Alliance. His novel For Whom the
Bell Tolls, based on his experiences in Spain, was published in 1940, after he moved to Havana, Cuba, with Gelhorn. The book became an
instant success, but he did not publish another novel for ten years. Meanwhile, he and Gelhorn divorced, and Hemingway married Mary
Welsh, his fourth and last wife. Hemingway won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 for his phenomenally successful The Old Man and the Sea and the
Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.
Deteriorating health began to plague Hemingway. His heavy drinking increased his health problems, and he began to suffer from wild mood
swings. In 1960, Hemingway and Welsh moved to Ketchum, Idaho. Not long afterward, he entered the Mayo Clinic to undergo treatment for
severe depression. His depression worsened in 1961, and on July 2 of that year, Hemingway woke early in the morning and committed
suicide by shooting himself in the head.
(Source: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/sun/context.html)
About the novel
The Sun Also Rises(1926) portrays the lives of the members of the so-called Lost Generation, the group of men and women whose early
adulthood was consumed by World War I. This horrific conflict, referred to as the Great War, set new standards for death and immorality in
war. It shattered many people’s beliefs in traditional values of love, faith, and manhood. Without these long-held notions to rely on, members
of the generation that fought and worked in the war suffered great moral and psychological aimlessness. The futile search for meaning in the
wake of the Great War shapes The Sun Also Rises. Although the characters rarely mention the war directly, its effects haunt everything they
do and say.
The quintessential novel of the Lost Generation, The Sun Also Rises is one of Ernest Hemingway’s masterpieces and a classic example of
his spare but powerful writing style. A poignant look at the disillusionment and angst of the post-World War I generation, the novel introduces
two of Hemingway’s most unforgettable characters: Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley. The story follows the flamboyant Brett and the
hapless Jake as they journey from the wild nightlife of 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain with a motley group of expatriates. It
is an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions. The Sun Also Rises helped to establish
Hemingway as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.
Literary Classification…Modernism (Early 20th century- mid 1960s)
Characteristics of Modernism:
 Marked by a strong and intentional break with tradition. This break includes a strong reaction against established religious, political, and
social views.
 Belief that the world is created in the act of perceiving it; that is, the world is what we say it is.
 There is no such thing as absolute truth. All things are relative.
 No connection with history or institutions. Their experience is that of alienation, loss, and despair.
 Championship of the individual and celebration of inner strength.
 Life is unordered.
 Concerned with the sub-conscious.
Other authors representing the Modernism movement
James Joyce…Ulysses, Finnegans Wake
F. Scott Fitzgerald…The Great Gatsby
Ford Maddox Ford…The Good Soldier
Virginia Woolf….To the Lighthouse
Aldous Huxley….Brave New World
D. H. Lawrence….Lady Chatterley’s Lover
T.S. Eliot….The Wasteland (book of poems)
Hemingway Quotes
On Writing:
If a writer knows enough about what he is writing about, he may omit things that he knows. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to
only one ninth of it being above water.
There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.
For a long time now I have tried simply to write the best I can. Sometimes I have good luck and write better than I can.
It's none of their business that you have to learn how to write. Let them think you were born that way.
On War:
Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.
They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in
your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason.
I know war as few other men now living know it, and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its complete abolition, as its very
destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a method of settling international disputes.
Philosophy:
The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.
Never mistake motion for action.
Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.
Reading Schedule
Reading assignments are to be read on the date posted, as homework and assumes that students will be ready
to discuss the assignment on the following meeting of the class.
January 6th & 7th ….check out books, read pages 1-42 (Questions for chpts 1-4)
January 8-11th ….pages 43-130 (Questions for chpts 5-12)
January 12th ….pages 131-150 (Questions for chpt 13)
January 13th ….pgs 151-173 (Questions for chpts 14-15)
January 14th ….pgs 174-191(Questions for chpt 16)
January 15-19th …192-251 through end of book (Questions for chpts 17-19)
January 20th….final discussion, review timed-essay strategies
Study/Discussion Questions to use as discussion guides
Book I
Chapter 1
1. Describe Robert’s experiences with women. Why was he devastated by his divorce? How has Frances affected his life?
How has their relationship changed? Why? How does this prepare the way for Robert’s relationship with Brett?
2. Explain why Hemingway begins the novel with this chapter. Why is Cohn important enough to describe in detail?
What clues does Jake give the reader to his negative feelings toward Robert?
Chapter 2
3. Compare Jake’s and Robert’s views of life. Why does Robert think South America will cure his dissatisfaction? How
have Robert’s interests and goals been developed? Jake’s?
4. Discuss this quotation: “Nobody ever lives their life all the way up except bullfighters.” How does this foreshadow
Jake’s afición values? Why does Jake feel life must be lived to the fullest? How does the “lost generation” fit into this
attitude?
Chapter 3
5. Show Paris as a wasteland. How are perversions of love demonstrated? How does Georgette fit into this? What is the
significance of Jake’s anger in the dancing club?
6. Explain Georgette’s comment, “Everybody’s sick.” How is this a statement on society? How does Jake’s injury
represent society? Are there other “sick” characters in the novel?
Chapter 4
7. Explain Brett’s quote, “Don’t we pay for all the things we do . . . ? Why does Brett feel she is being punished? How? To
what extent are the wounds the result of external forces?
8. How does Jake deal with his impotence? How do other people see it? Explain the quotation, “You, a foreigner . . . have
given more than your life.” Does Jake agree? How is his impotence relevant to society’s?
Chapters 5-6
9. Describe the relationship between Frances and Robert. How does Frances feel his leaving her demonstrates the aspect
of his character of seeking adventures through books? Why doesn’t Robert defend himself? How was their relationship
developed through his insecurities?
10. Contrast the normal people presented in the reading with Jake’s Paris friends. How are Krum and Woolsey different
from Jake’s other friends? Why does Jake walk to work? How do the characters presented as normal working people
contrast to Harvey Stone? Frances?
Chapter 7
11. Describe Count Mippipopolous. What things does he value? What do all those things have in common? How does he
represent the “lost generation”?
12. Explain Brett’s statement, “You haven’t any values. You’re dead, that’s all.” How does this describe Paris as a
wasteland in Book I? How does this relate to the count? Jake? Herself?
Book II
Chapter 8
13. Relate the incident with racial prejudice in Vienna. Why does Bill remember this so vividly? Why does Brett compare
Vienna to Paris? How does she feel about this? Bill?
14. Contrast Mike and Bill. How do they each handle alcohol? What is the difference between their finances? What are
their topics of conversation (i.e., prejudice in Vienna vs. Brett’s hat)?
Chapter 9
15. How does Brett’s revelation about San Sebastian affect Jake? Why had she gone? What does this tell about Brett?
How does this drive a deeper wedge between Robert and Jake?
16. Describe the scenes on the train. How does the “pilgrimage to Rome” of the Catholics on the train parallel to the
pilgrimage of Jake, Bill, and Robert? What are they looking for? What is the relationship of Jake to the Catholic church?
Chapters 10-11
17. Compare Bill and Jake’s comments on surroundings with Cohn’s for appropriateness. How is this indicative of the
way Robert and Jake approach life? How does this impact the deterioration of Jake and Robert’s relationship?
18. Contrast France and Spain. How does each represent a difference in values? What do the churches that are described
have to do with those values? How does Jake’s statement, “I only wish I felt religious and maybe I would the next time”
fit this?
Chapter 12
19. Comment on Bill’s feelings about expatriates who lose “touch with the soil . . . drink yourself to death . . . become
obsessed by sex . . . spend all your time talking, not working.” How does this describe Jake or his friends? Jakes’
attitude? Why is this good or bad?
20. Show how Bill and Jake’s fishing trip is similar to a religious experience? How does the wine drinking resemble
communion? How does Bill’s observation “Our stay on earth is not long. Let us rejoice and believe and give thanks”
relate? What does this have to do with the theme?
Chapter 13
21. Discuss afición. How does Montoya treat aficións differently? How does this relate to Jake? Montoya? Bill?
22. What is the difference between bulls and steers? What does this conversation represent in the values and characters
of the people of Hemingway’s time? In Jake’s group, who are bulls and who are steers?
23. Tell Mike’s story of the medals. What does this demonstrate about his character? How is this incident representative
of the “lost generation”?
Chapters 14-15
24. Explain Jake’s statement, “Enjoying living was learning to get your money’s worth and knowing when you had it.”
What is “it”? Why is Jake more interested in how to live rather than why? Where does Jake’s relationship with Robert fit
into this?
25. Show Romero as a Christ figure. What are the circumstances when the reader first sees him? Explain the quote, “The
others can’t ever learn what he was born with.” How does this fit the religious reference?
Chapter 16
26. Describe the setting up of Brett and Romero’s affair. What is the significance of it? Tell why Jake’s role in the affair
violated his code. Discuss Robert’s charge that Jake is a “pimp.”
27. Explain why Montoya wants to protect Romero. How does he do that? How does Jake react to the invitation from the
American ambassador? How does his involvement with Brett and Pedro contradict this? How does Montoya react?
Chapter 17
28. Describe Robert’s fights for Brett. How does this relate to Robert’s experiencing life through books? Why is Robert
the loser though he badly beat Jake? Romero?
29. Describe Jake’s awakening after Robert calls him a “pimp” and hits him. Why is the statement the truth? How does
his walk show renewed sensations about life? What does the bath represent?
30. Explain the quote, “All for sport. All for pleasure.” How does this relate to bullfighting? Relationships? The “lost
generation”? Jake?
Chapter 18
31. Describe the ceremony before and during the final bullfight. Why does Romero wait to kill the bull? What are
examples of the tradition involved? Compare Romero’s final fight with his fight with Robert.
32. Compare and contrast the three bullfighters. Why does Romero’s attention to the old style make him more skillful?
Why does Belmonte think “Pedro had the greatness”? Do their styles suggest other characters in the novel?
Book III
Chapter 19
33. Compare the bullfighters and bike racers. What is meant by, “They did not take the race seriously except among
themselves.” How does his relate to the “lost generation”?
34. Give reasons for Brett and Romero’s breakup. How does this show growth for Brett? What does the quote, “It’s sort
of what we have instead of God,” mean?
35. Explain Jake’s comment, “Send a girl off with one man. Introduce her to another to go off with him. Now go and
bring her back. And sign the wire with love. That was it all right.” How does this relate to the final quote: “Isn’t it pretty
to think so.” Does this show growth for Jake? What does it mean?
More Analytical Questions
1. According to Carlos Baker, Hemingway stated that The Sun Also Rises is not a "hollow or bitter satire," but a tragedy.
Discuss this interpretation of the novel.
2. How does Hemingway employ the ritual of the bullfight in this novel?
3. How does Hemingway utilize vocabulary and syntax to achieve the "Hemingway style"?
4. What is the significance of the title of the novel, The Sun Also Rises?
5. Identify the most significant symbol in the novel and justify your choice.
6. State one possible theme of the novel, and support your position.
7. Give your opinion on why The Sun Also Rises is considered an important novel in the canon of world literature, and
why it was seminal in the nomination of Hemingway as a Nobel Prize winner.
8. Describe how the setting complements the primary themes of the novel.
9. Explain why Hemingway begins the novel with the first chapter. Why is Cohn important enough to describe in detail?
What clues does Jake give the reader to his negative feelings toward Robert?
10. Show Paris as a wasteland. How are perversions of love demonstrated? How does Georgette fit into this? What is the
significance of Jake’s anger in the dancing club?
11. How does Jake deal with his impotence? How do other people see it? Explain the quotation, “You, a foreigner . . .
have given more than your life.” Does Jake agree? How is his impotence relevant to society’s?
12. Describe Count Mippipopolous. What things does he value? What do all those things have in common? How does he
represent the “lost generation”?
13. Contrast France and Spain. How does each represent a difference in values?
14. Consider Mike’s story of the medals. What does this demonstrate about his character? How is this incident
representative of the “lost generation”?
15. Explain Jake’s statement, “Enjoying living was learning to get your money’s worth and knowing when you had it.”
What is “it”? Why is Jake more interested in how to live rather than why? Where does Jake’s relationship with Robert fit
into this?
16. Show how Bill and Jake’s fishing trip is similar to a religious experience. What does this have to do with the theme?
17. Explain why Montoya wants to protect Romero.
18. How are Oedipus Rex, The Great Gatsby, and The Sun Also Rises all, to a certain extent, tragedies? What connections
do you see between this novel and The Great Gatsby?