So a few days ago a thread got deleted by its OP asking what women think of The Old Man and the Sea. A shame, people had just started talking about the book The Sun Also Rises.
The thread died pretty fast, but I want to know more about what male and female readers thought of The Sun Also Rises. I talked about the book before on this sub and the impressions weren’t as negative, people felt empathy in general for the characters. I myself especially felt pity towards Robert, who had the most pathetic treatment of all (also with the blatant antisemitism he got from other characters).
But when it comes to Lady Ashley, I’m quite curious if the feeling is the same as towards Robert. Because in my view, she shares the same characteristics as the three men smitten with her : aimless, but also desperate for passion to distract from that aimlessness as they all live cozy expat lives in Paris, meandering from brasserie to brasserie and from club to club. They all seem to admit a sort of romantic selfishness, casting away the people infatuated with them, yet ironically ending up completely torn down by others not wanting them -and unable to comprehend why.
About the romantic selfishness, I guess I can attribute that to Hemingway’s character : the guy wrote the book as a retelling of a vacation where he lusted after a married girl in front of his wife, and he even wrote out his wife from the book >!(fucking…yiiiiiikes man)!<.
With Lady Ashley, you can remove war trauma and being prone to anger, she’s rather carefree compared to the male characters. She’s also a bit of a Helen of Troy between male characters. But otherwise, I always saw her as part of that same cycle the male characters go through : the misery of being aimless. And just like with Jake and Robert and the bankrupted douche guy, it all ends with this same sad lonely restlessness.
When I read internet discussions, I see a few comments that treat Lady Ashley pretty harshly, though. Or at least people have a more charged opinion about her. And I suspect it’s because of her gender, but I’m not sure. For those who have read the book, penny for your thoughts?
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I just want to say that thread had great discussion, which is surprising since the original question was basically “Are women people?”
I read it a long time ago, and remember struggling to finish it. It felt like most of the book was the main character going to this club and that cafe and this this that. I don’t love Lady Ashley, but I don’t hate her. She didn’t really leave an impression on me.
It felt like most of the book was the main character going to this club and that cafe and this this that.
Hemingway is writing about the his generation, the lost generation.
They are “disoriented, wandering, directionless” from World War 1 and all the political and economic turmoil.
Quick question because I haven’t read the book in 20 years… was it implied that Robert was impotent due to his injury in the war?
I really love this book, but have to say that I never actually try to delve too deeply into the meaning or characters. To me, Hemingway’s prose is at its best in this novel, and I really just like being along for the ride, traveling from bars to rivers to bullfights with a bunch of people I’m not sure I really like, but they’re great to have on vacation.
Edit - a word