The New Hero in "The Sun Also Rises"

Paper Summary:

This paper shows that despite Jake Barnes' physical and mental disabilities in Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises", he, more than any other character, virtually embodies the new breed of hero, the survivor, of the twentieth century.

Paper Outline:
I. Jake as the new hero
A. Problems of Jake
1. War wound, impotency
2. Numbness, emptiness
3. Unsureness of how to cope
4. Fear of getting hurt
5. Moral vacuum, wasteland
6. Night demons
B. Strengths of Jake
1. Presses on
2. Aficionado
3. Adaptable
4. Will to find a way to live
5. Accepted truth of his fate
II. Comparison of Jake to other characters
A. Pedro Romero
1. Is classic hero
2. Can provide Brett with what she needs
B. Lady Brett Ashley
Conclusion: As times change, people, ideas, and standards all need to adapt.

From the Paper:

"Jake was a World War I veteran who, sometime during his service, was wounded and left impotent. This enormous defilement to his manhood was a fatal blow to his dignity and self-esteem. He became unsure of how to cope in this new, morally bankrupt, world as numbness, emptiness, and apathy invaded his heart, mind, and soul. Jake was scared of getting hurt, so he avoided personal relationships, alienated himself from people, and stayed on the outside of reality, playing it safe. As one critic described, "The fear is not of hidden presences, but of emptiness, universal absence, oblivion" (Butterfield 197). The daily distractions of company, small talk, food and especially alcohol temporarily eased his mind, but they were only that, temporary."

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• Book Review # 95957 : "The Sun also Rises" --An Analysis"
• Analytical Essay # 138754 : "Emasculation in "The Sun Also Rises"

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