Spain is the sun that rises

Before we started reading this novel, as a class we discussed the meaning of the title “The Sun Also Rises” in the light of the theme of a “lost generation” being portrayed in the book. We said how the title may be implying that the people in the lost generation are stuck in the unending cycle of unhealthy lifestyles, which persists as the sun rises every day. Although I agree with this interpretation, the title could have another meaning: that the sun rises, and therefore there is a chance for a new start or at least some salvation from the misery that the lost generation is suffering. My thought is that this “sun”, or “salvation”, comes to Brett and Jake in the form of their trip to Spain (notice how Paris is mostly portrayed during the night and Spain is characterized by the sunlight/heat). 

At the beginning of the book, we see Brett and Jake intimately tied with each other in a way that they are to no other people. They take their private time together in the taxi after the party, and Jake seems to be the only person that Brett doesn’t feel the need to wear her public mask (of being the cool, outgoing, and happy chick) in front of–in fact she starts the one-on-one conversation between them by saying “Oh darling, I’ve been so miserable”. From Jake’s perspective, Brett is the only person he feels romantic love towards and is one of the only people who knows about his wound. As much as these characters are bound together by attachment (or even love), they suffer under the pain that comes from Jake’s wound. Even inside the taxi, we a constant pain lingering in the air between them: 

“I think it’s hell on earth.” (Brett) 

“It’s good to see each other”

“No. I don’t think it is” 

“Don’t you want to?” 

“I have to” 

Here we see Brett and Jake feeling that they are inseparable from each other (they “have to” see each other, but not because they “want to”), which also puts them through “hell”. Overall, Brett and Jake are confined in an intimate, painful relationship bound by their emotional dependence on each other due to the aftermath of the war. 

However, we see these two characters freeing themselves from their mutual pain by gradually loosening their mutual dependence and diluting the consequences of the war on their lives. For Jake, his fishing trip places him in an environment of friendly, benign people like Bill and Harrison who he genuinely enjoys being around and connects meaningfully to without being reminded of his wound or his drama with Brett, and without engaging in unhealthy behaviors like drinking the green liquor. In this way, he escapes the miserable life that he was living in Paris and builds intimate relationships with people who are not Brett. In addition, his trip to Pamplona allows Jake to separate himself from Brett–a major cause of his pain–by connecting her with Romero. Further, when he returns to San Sebastian after the festival, we see him reflecting on his relationship with Brett: “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” (192 - I have different page numbers than you). Here, Jake explicitly points out to himself what kind of a person he is to Brett and comes to accept his fate as someone who isn’t able to get into a meaningful romantic relationship with Brett but rather facilitates her interaction with other guys. 

Brett is also transformed by her trip to Spain, particularly through meeting Romero. Romero is the only character that Brett interacts with who is much younger than her. Also, as Jake points out, Romero possesses a sense of vulnerability and gracefulness in how he tackles the bull, unlike the other bullfighters who often use trickery to show off their skills without actually putting themselves in danger. Perhaps due to these qualities, Romero stands out as a special person to Brett, which leads her to invest a lot more into her relationship with him compared to her previous relationships. For example, instead of hanging out with her friends (like she did when she was with Mike), Brett has more private one-on-one times with Romero, such as when she has lunch alone with him before the bullfight. She also makes the sacrifice of breaking up with Romero for his sake despite still loving him, instead of toying with him as she did with Cohn. Therefore, developing her relationship with Romero allows Brett to experience a deep, serious relationship with someone outside of Jake and therefore mature in her romantic life. We see Brett’s transformation at the very end of the book: when she and Jake are dining in the Spanish restaurant, she stops Jake from overdrinking. Previously, getting drunk has been the characters’ way of running away from their problems. Therefore, by stopping Jake from over-drinking (and not drinking much herself), Brett is attempting to become soberer and directly face the troubles in her life, just as Romero fought directly and vulnerably with the bull.  

In summary, the Spanish trip allowed Romero and Brett to explore new friendships and relationships, which allowed them to become less dependent on each other and accept their fate, and created an opportunity for them to sober up and move forward in their lives despite the pain caused by the long-term consequences of the war.