One of my discussion questions for
today centered on the idea of Jake’s sudden hatred for Robert Cohn. I am skeptical as to whether or not Robert’s
Jewish descent plays a role in Jake’s disliking for him, in addition to Robert’s
sexual relationship with Lady Brett.
Obviously Jake uses Robert’s Judaism as a means for insult; however is
Jake truly an anti-semtic? More
importantly, what is Ernest Hemingway trying to get across through his writing? Obviously his Iceberg Theory plays a large
role in his writing style for this novel, so the reader is not getting a clear,
coherent explanation in regards to Jake’s true emotions on the issue.
The
Sun Also Rises was published in 1926, nearly eight years before the
outbreak of World War II. The world had
yet to see the horrific images of the concentration camps that were responsible
for murdering six million Jews. I find
it hard to believe that Hemingway would have considered adding the anti-semtism
in the novel following the genocide that took place at the hands of the
Germans. Had this novel been published
after the events that took place, I find it likely that Hemingway would have
lost a lot of the popularity that he received throughout his life. I do not find the language in The Sun Also Rises particularly offense,
due to the time in which it was written, however I could not help but think of
Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Is Robert portrayed by Jake as somewhat as a villain
simply because he is a Jew, like Shylock was, or is it merely for his affair
with Lady Brett? What do you all
think? Personally, I believe that Jake
is jealous, and the fact that Robert is a Jew makes him an easy target.
I don't think Jake has any malicious feelings about the Jewish faith. Mainly, I support this belief because Jake only begins to feel hatred for Robert Cohn when he assumes a role of superiority. Jake is offended by Robert's extreme gratification because it is ignorant and premature (Jake knows how it feels to be infatuated with Brett). Hemingway does give us a few clues that there are prejudices and biases, but I believe this is done to create a historically accurate perspective of a European citizen in the 1920's. There are always prejudices in society- I don't think Hemingway was making any statement about the holocaust (the statement that he includes about Jews does not match the severity of the Holocaust, just as the statement that he includes about black people (the "n" word) does not match the severity of the African Slave Trade).
ReplyDeleteI don't necessarily think (like Matt) that Jake is trying to be malicious. However, because this novel was published, as you pointed out, before WWII, it was generally accepted at the time to be antisemitic, if only unconsciously. We don't understand this today, being in a post-holocaust society, but like the 'n' word in Huck Finn, it may have just been commonplace.
ReplyDeleteA good discussion going on here! It is clear to me (indisputable, in fact) that the characters in this book make remarks that are anti-Semitic. The intricacies/complications come up when we think about how/why they do. When you strike out at a minority because you feel threatened, etc., that does not, of course, make your comments any less offensive/bigoted than if you said those things when you weren't feeling threatened. (Or does it?)
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