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The Healing Power of Nature
Burguete, SpainFor a brief time in The Sun Also Rises Jake Barnes does not spend all his time and energy on drinking too much and escaping his reality. Jake and Bill’s trip to the small country town of Burguete is an event that stands in contrast to the rest of the novel. We often see Jake spending his days and nights getting drunk to avoid his woes, but in Burguete he spends time in nature and enjoys himself fishing and relaxing.
During his time in Paris and Pamplona Jake and his companions drink excessively, over imbibing to avoid facing up to the fact that they are the Lost Generation, a group of people who have little faith in the world after seeing the horrors of war up close. Within the group they continuously swap sexual partners in a somewhat incestuous dance that mimics the floors in the Paris dance halls. In Spain they revel in the bullfights, a gruesome display that distracts them from recognizing that their own lives are filled with a kind of spiritual and emotional death. Jake’s relationship with Brett is a constant struggle providing more fuel for the fire. Despite their obvious love for one another, they always find their way back to the fact that love is not enough to sustain their relationship. Brett and Jake are unwilling to completely let go of their dysfunctional bond, and instead drink away their disappointments.
Despite this constant escapism, Hemmingway depicts Jake’s trip to Burguete as a time of pure enjoyment. While fishing and joking with Bill Jake does not feel the need to be constantly drunk, instead the men enjoy wine in reasonable quantities. The small town has a calming, soothing effect on their psychological wounds left over from the war that the high energy of the cities cannot provide. By sending his characters back to nature Hemmingway is essentially bringing them back to the basics of humanity. While in the country they are happy to enjoy the simple things and are not constantly focused on how their lives have veered off course. The way he describes their experiences in the beautiful surroundings is therapeutic. It seems a shame that throughout the story Jake and his friends turn to drinking to mask their pain when all they really need is time spent in nature and a return to basics to find the joy in their lives.
Comfort in Nature
I also thought that Bill and Jake's time spent in nature was a very important episode in the novel. This is one of the few parts of the story during which characters seem to be at ease with their surroundings, and are not constantly fretting about leaving to find somewhere new. It was also here, in nature, during which the characters virtually never talked about their woes, such as Jake's unreturned love for Brett. Instead, the two men professed their ("platonic") love for each other, and simply relaxed.
I agree that a calming
I agree that a calming natural environment can be very therapeutic. It is also the prescription that many different religions and philosophies ascribe to people who have lost their way, especially the transcendentalists. I wonder if Ernest was in a way commenting on the transcendental way.
However, as a new citizen of New York City, I personally hope that there is a way to find peace and happiness in this chaotic city. This brings a question to my mind, whether a person is more likely to find the meaning of life living a simple existence in a more natural setting or living in a thriving urban center. I believe that if you make sure to keep yourself grounded and have firm morals, and urban setting is the better option. It is so much more stimulating. I actually come from a suburb of Chicago 20 minutes away from Oak Park, where Ernest Hemmingway grew up, and like Ernest, I was very anxious to get out and explore the world. One thing that I already feel like I have learned though is that how you experience a new environment has a lot more to do with the mindset you are in than where you are.