Colin Bodet
Mrs. Jane Everest
ENG 123.15
31 January 2012
The Sun Also Rises: The Design of an Alcoholic Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises is permeated with a multitude of references to alcohol. Hemingway once described it as a “book about a few drunks” (qtd. in Dardis 163). Matt Djos, author of “Alcoholism in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises: A Wine and Roses Perspective on the Lost Generation” and English professor at Mesa State College in Colorado, goes as far as to describe the novel as a “description of the alcoholic mentality” (64). The copious amounts of alcohol consumed by the characters of the novel can presumably be attributed to boredom. As the official biographer of Hemingway Carlos Baker puts it, the characters are “floundering in an emulsion of ennui and alcohol” (Baker 90); he suggests that the characters actions are fueled merely by boredom and an unhealthy consumption of alcohol. However, the hedonistic over-consumption of alcohol by Hemingway’s characters cannot be blamed on boredom alone; there are millions of people on this planet that suffer from boredom every so often, and yet they do not all keep themselves occupied by drinking to excess. Regardless of the reasons, “the drinking behavior in The Sun Also Rises was pronounced and addictive” (Djos 65). As the characters develop, it becomes clear that Hemingway designed the characters of The Sun Also Rises with past lives and personality traits that predispose them to alcoholism. Before determining the reasons behind the alcoholism of Hemingway’s characters, the characters must first be proven as alcoholics. It would be foolish to try to figure out why they are alcoholics before discerning whether or not the characters are actually alcohol-dependent. As described by Djos, “alcoholics have a higher level of anxiety, dependence, and defensiveness… reflected in a remarkable degree of moodiness, impulsivity, hostility, and distrust” (Djos 65). Jake, Brett, Mike, and Bill Gorton fit this description quite remarkably. For a novel that only takes place over a two week time period, an abnormal amount of that time spent involved alcohol or some sort of alcohol-endorsing atmosphere. Jake’s alcoholism can be contributed to his past. Due to his time spent fighting in the war, he has adopted a self-mutilating lifestyle. His life is full of self-pity and the idea of powerlessness haunts him. Jake finds solace in the fact that he views himself as not having fault, but rather as being unique. This is “a trait common among unrecovered alcoholics” (Djos 67). Djos Beautifully describes Jake’s emotional situation by stating that “more often than not, [Jake] gets drunk or ends up alone in a hotel room or in his flat, staring at a ceiling while grousing about the hopelessness of his condition” (Djos 67). Jake chooses to suppress any feeling that there may in fact be something wrong with him; he chooses to just not think about it. Jake states that he just tries to “play along and just not make trouble for people” (Hemingway 39). Jake’s refusal to accept his circumstances is the main contributing factor that leads to his alcoholism. Brett is constantly avoiding the conventional image of who a woman is supposed to be. She overcompensates for this fear of womanhood by seducing and attempting to control men. As Djos describes it, “Brett personifies the general female alcoholic with a remarkable prejudice for manipulation and orchestration” (68). She seduces men, lures them into her trap, and then abandons ship so to speak. Brett tends to target men’s emotions and she is relentless. If she sees an advantage to seducing a man, she will do so without hesitation. She seeks assurance in her ability to break the hearts of men, so she is constantly looking for a new victim. Alcohol makes it easier for Brett to seduce and play with the emotions of men; because of this she develops a dependency on alcohol. Like Brett, Mike seeks pleasure in controlling others; he uses his money and connections to facilitate this. If given the opportunity, he will not hesitate to pick on someone he views as weaker than himself. This is “a typical enough character of any fear-ridden alcoholic” (Djos 68). Mike’s life has been full of failure in the past; his marriage life, work life, and sex life have all been failures. This does not bother him; however, he seems to take pride in this fact. In order to compensate this, Mike adopts the image of a ladies man and a playful drunk. He has no intentions of becoming sober or changing his ways; on page 207 Mike says, “I’m drunk, I think I’ll stay rather drunk” (Hemingway). Mike, unlike some of the other characters, knows he has a problem but refuses to address it. At first, it is not apparent that Cohn suffers from alcoholism. Cohn shows all the signs of an alcoholic, yet doesn’t necessarily have a drinking problem. He is very emotional, he constantly pities himself, and he is pre-disposed to hang around people like Jake. Cohn shows the “standard characteristics of a ‘dry drunk’ or ‘pre-alcoholic’’’ (Djos 69). Although he is not dependent on alcohol, he still drinks. When he does drink, his loneliness and insecurity become apparent. Cohn would not necessarily be considered an alcoholic due to his drinking habits; however, he possesses all of the characteristics of an alcoholic and these characteristics become all the more apparent when he has been drinking. Jake and his friends are fueled by their instincts. As Djos puts it, “drinking isolates the characters and fragments in their relationships, culminating in rebellion, anti-social behavior, and an addiction to social fakery and make-believe” (69). Most of conversations amongst the characters are focused on their surroundings; they talk about food, wine, bullfights, and gossip about the affairs of others. The reader never really gets any insight into the true feelings of the characters. Very little dialog consists of more than mere observations or basic opinions about subjects that are trivial to begin with. The friends seem to be living their lives in the future. They are preoccupied with “later”; when will they arrange to meet again, where will they meet, and the list goes on. It seems that all conversation revolves around anything and everything that isn’t personal. This impersonality can be contributed to the alcoholism of the characters. Each character is so self-absorbed, each with his or her own problems to deal with, that conversation about personal lives is out of the question. Each of the friends live a very “me” oriented lifestyle; they are not concerned with what is going on the lives of others. Because of this, the relationships between the friends are very fragile and focused around their surroundings. The characters in The Sun Also Rises all show signs of alcoholism. Each person has his or her own characteristics or convictions that lead to their alcoholism. The extent of the addiction varies from character to character; however, throughout the novel it is very evident that Hemingway’s characters are designed as alcoholics in order to emphasize the flaws in their personalities.
Works Cited
Baker, Carlos. Hemingway: The Writer as Artist. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1973.
Dardis, Tom. “Hemingway: ‘I’m No Rummy.’” The Thirsty Muse: Alcohol and the American Writer. New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1989. 155-209.
Djos, Matt. “Alcoholism In Ernest Hemmingway’s The Sun Also Rises: A Wine and Roses Perspective on the Lost.” Hemmingway Review 14.2 (1995): 64. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Mar. 2012.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises. New York City: Scribner Book Company, 2006.