A Stark Contrast (Imagery)

“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.

Peaceful Thoughts (Local Color)

“The drinker waggled his little finger at him and smiled at us with his eyes. Then he bit the stream off sharp, made a quick lift with the wine-bag and lowered it down to the owner. He winked at us. The owner shook the wine-skin sadly….We were going through farming country with rocky hills that sloped down into the fields. The grain-fields went up the hillsides…The road was white and dusty, and the dust rose under the wheels and hung in the air behind us…We turned sharply out to the side of the road to give room to pass to a long string of six mules, following one after the other, hauling a high-hooded wagon loaded with freight. The wagon and the mules were covered with dust…This was loaded with lumber, and the arriero driving the mules leaned back and put on the thick wooden brakes as we passed. Up here the country was quite barren and the hills were rocky and hard-baked clay furrowed by the rain.”

-The Sun Also Rises, p 111

I have decided to temporarily refrain from discussing the pointlessness of Hemingway’s writing in order to discuss the one useful aspect of his writing—namely, that it contains the literary devices I need to discuss for the assignment. This passage contains a bit of the local color that has been evident throughout the novel. The biography on the back of the book mentions that Hemingway lived in France, and his knowledge of European culture and land is evident. At the beginning of the novel, Hemingway described Parisian night life. Now he contrasts that life with the slow, easygoing, friendly lifestyle of the Basque people along the Pyrenees Mountains. His vivid descriptions and attention to detail help emphasize the simplicity and beauty of the land. He thoroughly describes the innocent, trusting playfulness of the Basque people, which greatly contrasts the pessimistic, untrusting attitudes of the expatriates while in Paris. I think perhaps Hemingway is describing the life he would like to live: a life of simplicity, free from excessive stress and worry. Hemingway is describing everything his life was not.