So, what will we be doing today? Traveling in Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises" (PDF)

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3, Free University of Berlin (John-F.-Kennedy-Institut), language: English, abstract: In 1926 a man named Ernest Hemingway wrote a book. It was called "The Sun Also Rises" (as it also travels) and it recounts a recreational journey undertaken by the protagonist, Jake Barnes, and his companions. Jake is very fond of traveling. He is also very fond of getting drunk and seeing people and animals hurt each other. It is hard to tell which he favors more, since he travels in order to get drunk and see violence, although it would not be necessary, since violence and alcohol can be encountered at selected locations all across the world. Traveling must therefore have a more vital function in Jake's life.
As multitudinous as Jake's motivations may have been, there seems to be one constant element that can be named as the driving force behind all of Jake's travels. This element is escape. Escape from a dismal and boring life in his home country and in Paris, escape from happiness in Spain and with (or without) Brett, or escape from his war experiences. Since it is such a fundamental part of his life, he, as the narrator, also portrays the other characters as fugitives from themselves and from others.
In order to verify this statement, I will examine Jake's possible reasons for expatriation in general. Then I will try to further examine the individual travel stops that Jake visits during his journey. I will show that each location has a different meaning to him, although the guiding theme remains. Then again I will attempt to shine a light on the driving powers behind the restlessness of the three central characters: Jake, Brett and Robert. Although the narrator does show some insight into their motivations, there are still deeper ones that he might not realize because they are also inherent in himself.