Ernest Hemingway’s ​The Sun Also Rises is a poignant portrayal of the disillusionment and restlessness that pervaded a post-World War I generation consumed by decadent ideals and dissolute lifestyles — from the numbing sensations of dancing in Paris nightclubs to the helpless yearning for adventure in the bullrings of Pamplona, Hemingway depicts how a debauched society precludes the protagonist Jake Barnes from achieving meaningful self-fulfillment, an idea further emphasized throughout the novel by Jake’s derisive first person narration. Jake immerses himself in the superficial dynamics of urban life in Paris, surrounding himself with a group of expatriates he regards with disdain. His scornful attitude is merely a front for the overwhelming sense of spiritual loss that fills him; rendered impotent due to injuries sustained in the war and thus unable to consummate his love for Brett, Jake bears a physical and emotional void. Hemingway’s use of setting is central to the thematic development of meaningful self-fulfillment — Jake’s experience in the countryside of Burguete, a site of Nature and equanimity, stands in sharp contrast to the degenerate lifestyle he leads in the city of Paris, a site of fruitless restlessness. By contrasting his demeanor in these two settings through a brief fishing interlude in Burguete, Hemingway depicts how the natural atmosphere transforms Jake in a profound way, altering his tone of voice and providing an idyllic atmosphere for him to simply delight in, thus acting as a haven of solace. In ​The Sun Also Rises,​ Hemingway contrasts Jake’s authentic experiences in the natural, wild outdoors of Burguete with the superficial and meaningless dynamics of urban life in Paris in order to illustrate how Nature functions as a site of liberation and salvation for Jake, facilitating a meaningful experience of self-fulfillment and an escape from the frivolity of his daily routines. Hemingway thus reveals that the natural world, displaced from the restless dynamics of urban life, is a source of spiritual revitalization and genuine self-fulfillment, allowing Jake to cultivate within him a tender and benign spirit.

Immersed in the mundane social dynamics of urban life in Paris, Jake channels his internal discontent into artificial daily interactions with his friends that mask his scornful and condescending thoughts of others and further contribute to his sense of disillusionment; Hemingway thus uses Jake’s perpetual engagement in these insincere interactions to highlight Jake’s own discontentedness with the circumstances of his life and lack of spiritual self-fulfillment. In the city of Paris, Robert Cohn, a close acquaintance and writer recently accepted by a book publisher in America, visits Jake one day in hopes of convincing him to travel to South America with him, longing for a fulfilling adventure. Jake becomes so irritated by Cohn talking about escaping to South America that he leads him out of his office into a cafe in an effort to get rid of him, professing his pity for Cohn:

But I felt sorry for him. He had it badly…‘No,’ I said. We went down the stairs to the cafe on the ground floor. I had discovered that was the best way to get rid of friends. Once you had a drink all you had to say was: ‘Well, I’ve got to get back and get off some cables,’ and it was done. It is very important to discover graceful exits like that in the newspaper business, where it is such an important part of the ethics that you should never seem to be working. Anyway, we went downstairs to the bar and had a whiskey and soda…So there you were. I was sorry for him, but it was not a thing you could do anything about. (18-20)

Hemingway’s use of the first person point of view allows the readers to tune into Jake’s true thoughts, which sharply contrast his outward demeanor towards Cohn. Jake’s spiteful attitude throughout the encounter is important to note: while speaking to Cohn, all Jake can think of is how to “get rid of” him and how Cohn “had it badly;” a genuine friend would not scorn or patronize Cohn the way Jake does, much less engage in a ruse to “get rid of” him. The artificiality of this interaction is embodied in Jake’s act of leading Cohn to a cafe downstairs, getting a drink, and pretending to need to go attend to work, simply to rid himself of Cohn’s presence. The act is indicative of a widespread cafe culture, based predominantly in urban centers and characterized by intemperate alcoholism, further evidence of the degenerate lifestyle Jake leads in the city of Paris. Moreover, earlier in the chapter, Jake ridicules Cohn for his recent obsession with a W.H. Hudson novel called ​The Purple Land​, which “recounts splendid imaginary amorous adventures of a perfect English gentleman in an intensely romantic land” (17); Jake implies that Cohn’s predilection for ​The Purple Land must have motivated Cohn’s desire to escape to South America. Dissecting Jake’s thoughts more in depth, the way he asserts that “he [Cohn] had it badly” is not simply a mockery of Cohn, but rather of Cohn’s desire to escape to South America; in effect, Jake is ridiculing the very text that inspired Cohn to take this journey — ​The Purple Land,​ which is the story of a romantic adventure. Jake’s inability to consummate his love for Brett due to his impotence is why he abhors the premise of the novel. As a result, he so despises thinking about the idea of romantic fulfillment or any type of self-fulfillment that he can not even tolerate listening to Cohn profess his desire to escape — Jake’s inability to listen to Cohn reveals his own internal dissatisfaction; Jake thinks Cohn “had it badly” because he himself does not believe that having a meaningful experience is possible as a result of his own circumstances. Jake evades the subject as a result and refuses to listen to his friend, engaging in a pointless ruse to rid himself of Cohn’s presence. Jake claims to be “sorry for him [Cohn],” when in reality, he is pitying himself and indirectly projecting his self-pity onto Cohn. He represses his own sense of unhappiness and channels it into outward, artificial interactions, engaging in meaningless ruses to cafe shops involving the consumption of alcohol, in an effort to deter any type of meaningful conversation — this is the spiritual devoidness that characterizes Jake’s social interactions specifically in the city of Paris, exemplifying his underlying internal discontent. Jake’s mentioning “I had discovered that was the best way to get rid of friends” indicates that he regularly engaged in this ruse multiple times in the past with multiple other people to test how effective it was. Jake’s emotional repression in Paris, channeled into these artificial, daily interactions and embodied in these meaningless ruses to cafe shops, depicts his lack of self-fulfillment in an urban environment, which contrasts his experiences in Nature, as seen later in the novel. Hemingway shows that the artificial social dynamics of Paris, characterized by alcoholic tendencies and faked interactions, and thus spiritually meaningless, not only exemplify Jake’s degenerate state of mind, but also exacerbate his internal, repressed discontent, further fostering his scornful outlook on life. As illustrated later in the novel, Jake’s genuine and meaningful experience in the natural atmosphere of Burguete contrasts his superficial interactions in Paris and liberates him from these meaningless dynamics, illustrating the differing effects of these two different settings.

Immersed in the natural landscape of Burguete and removed from the frivolous dynamics of city life, Jake absorbs and appreciates his environment differently than he does in an urban setting; in particular, Jake expresses an uncharacteristically thoughtful and genuine admiration for his natural surroundings, which greatly contrast his repugnant description of the Boulevard Raspail in Paris earlier in the novel — Hemingway thus conveys how the natural atmosphere of Burguete alters Jake’s normally scornful attitude and inspires within him a sense of positivity,liberating him from the degenerate dynamics of city life. Jake and his friend Bill, an American veteran who served in World War I alongside Jake, decide to take a fishing trip to the wild countryside of Burguete, Spain, while in Pamplona. In Burguete, Jake describes the process of catching a trout, noting the subtle intricacies of the fish’s motions; he describes his experience in Burguete without the contemptuous tone that the readers are so accustomed to:

As I baited up, a trout shot up out of the white water into the falls and was carried down. Before I could finish baiting, another trout jumped at the falls, making the same lovely arc and disappearing into the water that was thundering down. I put on a good size sinker and dropped into the white water close to the edge of the timbers of the dam​…​They were beautifully colored and firm and hard from the cold water. It was a hot day, so I slit them all and shucked out the insides, gills and all, and tossed them over across the river…They looked nice in the ferns, and now the bag was bulky, and I put it in the shade of the tree. (124)

Hemingway’s minimalist style of writing is crucial to note when reading his work: nuanced descriptions or changes in tone become especially apparent upon close inspection of the text. Jake’s description of Paris prior to the fishing trip greatly contrasts his affectionate portrayal of Burguete, as he relates his absolute disgust of the Boulevard Raspail:

The Boulevard Raspail always made dull riding. It was like a certain stretch on the P. L. M. between Fontainebleau and Montereau that always made me feel bored and dead and dull until it was over. I suppose it is some association of ideas that makes those dead places in a journey. There are other streets in Paris as ugly as the Boulevard Raspail…But I cannot stand to ride along it. (48)

Jake’s repugnant description of the Boulevard Raspail in Paris — using words like “bored,” “dead,” “dull,” and “ugly” — highlights the derisive tone that characterizes his voice throughout the entire novel, indicative of an inherently negative outlook on life and thus a lack of self-fulfillment. Jake repetitively emphasizes his distaste of the Boulevard Raspail, using phrases such as “bored and dead and dull until it was over,” and the same descriptors in sentences elsewhere. Another crucial aspect to note is that the Boulevard Raspail does contain components of the natural world, most notably trees; Jake, however, is unmoved and still finds the worst in his surroundings — it is only by being displaced from the urban setting of Paris and immersed within the wild, truly natural countryside of Burguete, that Jake can appreciate his surroundings, as seen in his tender description of catching trout. When fishing in Burguete, Jake uses words like “lovely,” “beautifully,” and “nice” to describe the trout and their movements. The use of these descriptors is important to note: they exhibit a much different tone of voice — appreciative and genuine — compared to Jake’s scathing description of the Boulevard Raspail in Paris. It seems remarkably uncharacteristic for the Jake who was “bored and dead and dull” from looking at a boulevard full of trees to describe the intricate movements of a fish making a “lovely arc” as it springs from the water — yet it is the same Jake, only displaced from Paris and immersed within a different atmosphere, one of true Nature in the wild outdoors of Burguete. Jake’s thoughtful observations illustrate his positive outlook on life in the moment — instead of finding the worst in his surroundings as in Paris, he observes the nuanced, beautiful qualities of the Nature around him, affectionately absorbing his atmosphere in the way he notes the “lovely arc” that the trout consistently make. Jake also mentions that the trout were “beautifully colored” and looked “nice” when placed with fern, descriptions that further exhibit his genuine appreciation for his natural environment. Hemingway’s subtle inclusion of these descriptors have a profound effect on how Jake is presented in this interlude: rather than a pessimistic skeptic, Jake is seen as an appreciative, thoughtful nature-lover. Instead of ridiculing every aspect of his life — whether it be his friends, men at a nightclub, or a boulevard in Paris — Jake admires his surroundings in Nature, making thoughtful observations that highlight his ability to find the beautiful qualities of his surroundings. His tone of voice in this excerpt exhibits a tender sincerity that greatly contrasts his cynical attitude in Paris. The natural atmosphere of Burguete, therefore, functions as a liberating influence that inspires in Jake a genuine appreciation and more optimistic attitude in life, fostering a tender, positive, and benign spirit within him as he learns to admire the subtle intricacies of his natural environment — Nature provides Jake salvation from the spiritual devoidness of urban life by altering his normally scornful outlook and thus allowing him to have a meaningful and genuine experience. As a result, he is able to cultivate a positive spirit within him and simply delight in the activity of fishing that he loves, providing him with the much needed pure joy to recuperate from the restlessness of urban life. Later in Burguete, Jake engages in more meaningful activities, indulging in a romantic novel and bantering with Bill, further evidence of Nature’s healing effects on his state of mind and social interactions.

In Burguete, Jake’s uncharacteristic indulgence in reading a romantic novel, an activity he initially denigrates Cohn for, further depicts how being immersed in Nature positively alters his previously scornful attitude and allows him to appreciate the arts in a new light, as well as let go of any anguish over his own romantic situation — Hemingway thus shows that Nature acts as a liberating influence from the meaningless dynamics of urban life by allowing Jake to cultivate a tender spirit within him and escape into the world of romantic literature. In the countryside of Burguete, Jake decides to read a romantic novel by A. E. W. Mason, an English wartime short-story writer, one afternoon — surprisingly, he enjoys reading the story and recounts his experience:

It was a little past noon and there was not much shade, but I sat against the trunk of two of the trees that grew together, and read. The book was something by A. E. W. Mason, and I was reading a wonderful story about a man who had been frozen in the Alps and then fallen into a glacier and disappeared, and his bride was going to wait twenty-four years exactly for his body to come out on the moraine, while her true love waited too, and they were still waiting when Bill came up. (125)

In a literal sense, the “trunk of the two trees,” representative of Nature, physically provides a supporting structure for Jake to lean on and read Mason’s romantic novel — the natural surroundings of Burguete, therefore, physically allow Jake to engage in this leisure activity. In a more abstract sense, secluded from the restlessness of life in Paris, Jake is able to read for pleasure under a tree because of the tranquil atmosphere of his encompassing natural environment — Hemingway subtly alludes to how the natural setting of Burguete plays such an important in role in altering Jake’s state of mind by referring to the “trunk of two of the trees that grew together” which Jake leans on in the excerpt above, as he truly immerses himself within the natural landscape. It is again important to note the adjectives that Jake uses in his descriptions, which exhibit an unusually benign and tender tone of voice — he explains that he is reading a “wonderful” story, which is uncharacteristic of Jake, who normally exhibits a scornful attitude towards every aspect of his life throughout the novel. Moreover, Jake earlier derides Cohn for obsessing over W.H. Hudson’s ​The Purple Land,​ another romantic story — yet in Burguete, Jake reads a novel of the same kind, even describing it as “wonderful,” which differs from his previous ridiculing of Cohn and depicts his genuine appreciation for the story. Moreover, romance is a particularly painful subject for Jake since he is unable to consummate his love for Brett; as such, he initially scoffs at the romance novel that Cohn becomes obsessed with and despises thinking about romantic fulfillment in any sense, engaging in a ruse to rid himself of Cohn’s presence — the novel Jake reads, however, mirrors his own romantic situation with Brett, namely in the main character’s inability to actualize his romance with the bride. However, when immersed in the natural surroundings of Burguete, Jake lets go of his anguish over his own romantic life and simply enjoys a story about a bride who waits for her true love to return, without thinking about the circumstances of his own life. Perhaps, however, Jake does not even realize that the novel mirrors his own romantic situation — regardless, it is because he is immersed in the serene, natural atmosphere of Burguete that he does not immediately think about the defects of his love life. Thus, being immersed in Nature liberates him from the dire circumstances of his life by allowing him to engage in a simple activity of leisure, taking his mind off of the struggles of his own life and allowing him to escape and immerse himself in the world of literature. Only within the tranquil atmosphere of Burguete is Jake able to indulge in relaxing activities such as reading a romantic novel, actions which contrast his previously scornful thoughts about ​The Purple Land and dissolute lifestyle in Paris. Jake’s reading experience in Burguete sharply contrasts his spiritually devoid interactions in Paris, characterized by casual flings with prostitutes, dancing in nightclubs, as well as frequent alcoholism. Hemingway, in effect, conveys how Nature provides salvation for Jake from the meaningless dynamics of urban life by facilitating an environment for him to engage in an activity of leisure which subtly heals his state of mind through restorative relaxation, thus providing much needed relief and an escape from the degenerate dynamics of urban life. As seen later in this fishing interlude, the natural atmosphere of Burguete also allows Jake to engage in authentic interactions with Bill, as they tease each other back and forth, but also learn to appreciate the lives they have been given.

The interplay of dialogue between Jake and Bill in Burguete, humorously authentic yet deeply meaningful at the same time, and imbued with religious and spiritual banter, illustrates how Nature facilitates a divine revelation for and allows the two friends to engage in genuine, liberating interactions with each other, greatly contrasting the artificial social dynamics of urban life in Paris and depicting how the natural surroundings allow the men to channel their senses of spirituality. In Burguete, Jake and Bill share a drink together, not in the same way they would in the city of Paris, however — they engage in spiritually meaningful conversation, imbued with humor, as Bill encourages Jake to appreciate his life:

‘Our stay on earth is not for long. Let us rejoice and believe and give thanks’… ‘Let us rejoice in our blessings. Let us utilize the fowls of the air. Let us utilize the product of the vine. Will you utilize a little, brother?’… ‘Let no man be ashamed to kneel here in the great out-of-doors. Remember the woods were God’s first temples. Let us kneel and say: ‘Don’t eat that, Lady — that’s Mencken.’ (126-27)

Jake and Bill have a genuine bond and sense of camaraderie in the woods, a type of friendship that Jake is unable to cultivate with any of his other friends in Paris. Earlier in the novel, Jake rids himself of Cohn’s presence through a deceptive ruse and interacts only with prostitutes or Brett’s friends at nightclubs, most of whom he dislikes. When he is placed in the wild outdoors with Bill, however, he engages in heartfelt interactions with his friend, imbued with humor and benign remarks towards each other. In the excerpt above, Bill invokes religious ideals when he encourages Jake to relax and simply rejoice in the moment — he alludes to the “fowls of the air” from the Holy Bible, mentions that “the woods were God’s first temples,” and urges Jake to “kneel here in the great out-of-doors,” attempting to inspire a more meaningful religious and spiritual sensation within Jake. Within the midst of Nature, Bill becomes conscious of the fleeting nature of time, experiencing a divine revelation in noting that “our stay on earth is not for long,” and attempts to instill the importance of cherishing the lives that they have into Jake. Furthermore, Bill’s emphasis on appreciating or “utilizing” natural entities, such as the “air,” “product of the vine,” or being in the “woods” and “great out-of-doors” illustrates the positive influence that Nature has on him in revealing to him the importance of embracing his life and existence — Bill explicitly claims that no man should “be ashamed to kneel here in the great out-of-doors,” implying that within the midst of Nature, men are able to be their true selves without the fear of being ashamed due to societal expectations or how others may perceive their actions. The natural atmosphere of Burguete, therefore, serves as a liberating influence which allows the men to channel their true, genuine spirits. Bill’s entire speech, moreover, is an optimistic outlook on life, as he encourages Jake to “rejoice in our blessings,” or to be grateful for the lives that both men have been given; rather than lamenting about their troubles or the circumstances of their lives after the war, Bill urges Jake to live in the moment and drink to the “blessings” in their life — instead of using alcohol to drown one’s sorrows away, Bill encourages Jake to drink out of appreciation for their lives, reversing the often numbing and detrimental consumption of alcohol during the post-World War I era. Through the use of dialogue, Hemingway shows how the natural atmosphere of Burguete allows Jake and Bill to not only appreciate their lives, but also the genuine sense of camaraderie that they have with each other, allowing for much needed spiritual revelation and healing. Nature thus acts as a catalyst which liberates Jake from the meaningless dynamics of urban life, facilitating a setting in which they both can engage in genuine, heartfelt, and enlightening interactions with each other, inspiring positive religious and spiritual sensations within them.

We are so much molded by Nature’s invisible hands in our daily lives. Its sage presence guides us through the depths of our inner soul, reconnecting us with our sense of self which is so often muddled in the mundane dynamics of daily life. The post-World War I generation was devastated by the complete and utter destruction ensued from an unprecedented conflict that psychologically tormented those who served. Society suffered an overwhelming collective emotional and spiritual loss. Much like everyone else, American expatriate Jake is acutely disillusioned following the war. Throughout the novel, Jake exhibits scorn and contempt towards his friends and the circumstances of his life; in his social interactions in Paris, he internally projects his self-pity onto others, channeling his repressed feelings into artificial interactions. He is liberated, however, for a brief period in the wild outdoors of Burguete, engaging in the activity of fishing that he genuinely loves. Nature serves as the catalyst for liberation from the frivolous dynamics of urban life, allowing him to cultivate a benign spirit within him that he is unable to when immersed in life in Paris. By including this brief interlude, Hemingway strikes to the core of what society has lost as a result of the war: a sense of inner self and meaning in life, as well as the essential ability to connect with the healing, transcendental atmosphere of Nature. Jake rediscovers his spiritual and religious sense of self in the environment of Burguete, deriving a divine source of inspiration from his natural surroundings. Hemingway depicts the powerful effect that being immersed in the natural, wild outdoors of Burguete has on Jake’s state of mind, providing an idyllically liberating environment for him to reconnect with his inner consciousness and sense of self. Hemingway ultimately, however, places Jake back in the spiritually devoid dynamics of urban life, illustrating the reality of his circumstances; as such, while Hemingway portrays Nature’s remarkable ability to provide a haven of solace for Jake, he ultimately shows that men and women in the post-World War I generation are unable to fully cultivate the healing power of the natural world due to the conflicting forces of their meaningless urban lives. Within this structural choice lies Hemingway’s essential message, namely that the post-World War I generation has lost its ability to spiritually connect with Nature and thus engage in meaningful, genuine activities. Hemingway’s novel is a plea to the Lost Generation to liberate themselves from the meaningless dynamics of urban life and reconnect with their true selves within the midst of Nature, a site of tranquil enlightenment. Hemingway believes that his Lost Generation fails to even grasp the intangible qualities they have lost as a result of the war, and perceives the emotional and spiritual repercussions of such a mindset. Thus, ​The Sun Also Rises ​is an appeal to those who are spiritually devoid following the destruction of World War I to reconnect with their inner souls by immersing themselves within the rejuvenating atmosphere of Nature, a realm which acts as an impetus for spiritual revitalization and meaningful self-fulfillment. While a realist, Hemingway’s brief inclusion of the fishing interlude in Burguete is ultimately representative of his optimistic outlook on the future of the Lost Generation, the members of which simply need to realize the truly remarkable restorative and healing powers of Nature.