Home » Reading & Literature » British Literature » Essay On Self- Discovery - The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway

Essay On Self- Discovery - The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway

© Janet Kay Blaylock

This is an essay that I had written in college on Self-Discovery. It's about the characters in "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway and how they learned to cope with their struggles of self-discovery.

Throughout The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway, Robert Cohn, Jake Barnes, and Brett Ashley learn something about themselves.

Most people view boxing as a sport, but Robert Cohn uses his fighting techniques to deal with fear, anger, jealousy, and other emotions. Because Robert Cohn has a low self-image, he uses his boxing to counteract those feelings. Even though Cohn doesn't like boxing, he suffers through the techniques of learning how to fight, so he can develop a confidence in being able to knock someone out. For example, when Cohn enters Pedro Romero's room and sees Romero with Brett, he starts knocking Romero around. Fighting gives Cohn an "inner comfort in knowing he could knock down anybody who was snooty to him . . ." (13). Even though he beats up Romero, he realizes what he has done and feels badly. He breaks down and cries like a child. As a result, he doesn't build up his self-esteem. He continues to feel inferior to others.

Throughout Cohn's life, he has had failure after failure. He was married and then his wife asked him for a divorce. After that, he became the editor of a magazine publication. He discovered he liked the money and the authority of editing. However, he had to give it up because the company became too expensive. When he quit his job, he turned to writing and had one book published. Cohn sees his failures as a result of the way he was treated as a Jew at Princeton. However, being a Jew has nothing to do with failing at things. No matter what kind of religious beliefs people have, they will fail at some things because nobody is perfect. Cohn doesn't learn to accept his feelings of inferiority and his failures, so he stays immature.

Cohn also wants to deal with his problems by escaping them. Fighting or using some other way to escape life's trials doesn't solve anything. Cohn doesn't realize that his problems are still with him after the fighting is over. He needs to deal with the inward emotions and frustrations, not just the outward frustrations. For example, Cohn wants to go to South America. He also wants Jake to go with him, but Jake tells him that going to South America will not solve his problems. Cohn is not acting mature when he tries to escape from his present circumstances because he needs to deal with his frustrations. Cohn wants to stay immature and escape, or he would change his attitude and actions.