Connected to the Lost Generation

When I was in sixth grade my sister, Emily, was studying in Switzerland for the year.  During Christmas break we met her in Paris.  Of all the places we went, my mom’s favorite place was a very crowded bookstore called Shakespeare and Company.  This bookstore was opened many years ago on a different street in Paris by an American woman named Sylvia Beach.  It was an English language bookstore, and it became very popular.  Many of the writers and other people who were part of the “lost generation” hung out there, including Ernest Hemingway.  After WWII a man named George Whitman opened a new Shakespeare and Company right across from Notre Dame Cathedral.  We have a book called Sylvia Beach and the Lost Generation which includes pictures of him at the old store. He and Sylvia were great friends.   There were many Americans living in Paris at that time.  There were many other famous writers there such as James Joyce, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein.   When I read The Sun Also Rises I could picture the characters at the cafes and bars there.  We have a photo taken in front of Les Deux Magots which is a café Hemingway liked to go to.  It’s on a corner with many tables and chairs outside.  This is the type of place where Jake, Robert Cohn, Brett and the others would have sat and ordered drinks.  Hemingway experienced many of the things he wrote about in The Sun Also Rises.  I can imagine why the “lost generation” Americans would want to live in such a beautiful city as Paris

A Love-Hate Relationship with Brett

I noticed during class discussion about Brett that with most people, you either love her or you hate her. I would have to say that I’m pretty in between, because there were a lot of things that I really liked about her character, while other things that she did drove me crazy.

When she wanted to, Brett could be a very kind and caring person. There is one scene where Jake is clearly in a state of depression and Brett is very gentle and understanding towards him. She even hugs him to give physical comfort, an act which I found surprising considering her personality.

When Brett has had a lot to drink she can be either very out of it or confused, and sometimes even mean, although that is rare. There is a scene towards the beginning of the novel where Brett is completely drunk to the point where she is standing in the street and shouting things up to Jake’s window.

There was also a lot of discussion on how Brett is taking advantage of Jake’s unending love for her in unfair ways. For example, towards the end of the book, when Brett is in San Sebastian with and runs out of money, but knows that Jake is at her beck and call and will come to comfort her and take her back home. It is also frustrating to many people that Jake lets himself be treated this way just because he is in love with her. He acts like he has no pride.

Although there is a lot of hatred towards Brett, I think that almost all of her acts have reason, though they may not always be good. She obviously has had some hardships in her life, before we, the readers, meet her, which could explain a lot and cause more understanding from people.