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

Jake also discovers something about himself throughout the book. He believes he is to confront all of his weaknesses, fears, and failures because he says man surrenders too easily to God and the Church. If Jake had to confront all of this problems at once, he would be overwhelmed.

Even though Jake goes to church and prays, he doesn't believe in his heart what he is saying. As a result, going to church becomes a ritual. When Jake sits in church and lets his mind wander, he is not really worshiping God and is not praying sincerely. He still feels secure and refreshed when he goes to church even if his heart is not in the worship and praying service. Because Jake isn't interested in worshiping God as he should, he is just going through the motions and is not developing faith in God.

When Jake sees going to church as a duty or ritual, then what he receives from the service will not last. Jake compares his ritual for church with Cohn's ritual of vanity, which is getting ready for Brett. If Jake's heart is not right with God, he is just going through the motions of the church service, and his blessings are just temporaral.

Brett also blames the Judeo-Christian concept of life's being a punishment-reward. she has slept with several men. When Brett and Jake meet and fall in love, she believes she is being punished for her past sins because she cannot have the man she loves.

Besides her sinful behavior in the past, Brett also says that when she is in church, it makes her "so nervy" (212) and doesn't benefit her. Brett also looks at her outward appearance by stating that her face is the wrong type of face to go to church.

To conclude, Robert Cohn is so caught up in his failures that he can't have a relationship with God until he accepts his failures and deals with them. Jake Barnes goes to church, but his problem is not really worshiping God from his heart. Finally, Brett Ashley is concerned so much about her appearance and her past sins that she doesn't believe God accepts her.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic