Ernest Hemingway Writing Styles in The Sun Also Rises

This section contains 319 words
(approx. 1 page at 400 words per page)

Point of View

The Sun Also Rises is told from a first person point of view by narrator and protagonist Jake Barnes. This is particularly important because the book is based on real experiences and people, with Hemingway basing the character of Jake on himself.

Using a first person narrator has the advantage of allowing the reader to see everything and everyone through Jake's eyes, but we can only surmise what other characters are thinking and feeling based on what Jake tells us. The narration is reliable only when it comes to Jake, who might not be correct in assumptions he makes about the behavior and motivations of others.

Language and Meaning

The Sun Also Rises was written and set in the post-World War I era, and the language reflects that. It is slightly more stiff in some ways than current novels, and the characters use slang words like "swell" and "sore" that were popular at the time but sound old fashioned now. The word "nigger" is also used casually at one point, which was more acceptable then than now.

Since the story takes place in France and Spain, the text includes a large number of French and Spanish words and terms. They are not explained or translated, but their meanings are usually fairly clear because of the context in which they are used.


The novel is divided into three books. The books are subdivided into eighteen chapters of varying lengths. The chapters and books are numbered but untitled. Prior to the first book, the author includes two epigraphs. One is the quote, "You are all a lost generation," which he attributes to Gertrude Stein. The second is a lengthy passage from Ecclesiastes that begins, "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth forever . . . The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down . . . " This passage is the inspiration for the book's title.

This section contains 319 words
(approx. 1 page at 400 words per page)