“We packed the lunch and two bottles of wine in the rucksack, and Bill put it on. I carried the rod-case and the landing-nets slung over my back. We started up the road and then went across a meadow and found a path that crossed the fields and went toward the woods on the slope of the first hill. We walked across the fields on the sandy path. The fields were rolling and grassy and the grass was short from the sheep grazing. The cattle were up in the hills. We heard their bells in the woods.”
-The Sun Also Rises, p 121
This paragraph, as well as the following few paragraphs, is a prime example of Hemingway’s use of imagery. Throughout the novel, he has sprinkled in bits of imagery and countless details. Now, though, he writes, it seems, for the sole purpose of describing the Basque landscape. Hemingway contrasts the variety of the land with the monotonous streets of Paris. In fact, by taking so much time describing the countryside, Hemingway seems to prefer the Basque country to Paris, which he describes limitedly. He also includes a couple mentions of hearing cowbells as Jake and Bill traverse the countryside. These appeal to the sense of hearing, strengthening the imagery of the passage. By writing to the senses of both sight and hearing, Hemingway presents a strong mental picture of the Basque region.
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