The Sun Also Rises .
In most novels we see protagonists and antagonists, those that strive for a good common goal, and then those that serve no purpose but to get in the way of that goal. We observe heroes, people that surpass the normal standards of a human being. Heroes stand out, and posses certain redeeming qualities that make them admirable, they ride off into the sunset, they always get the girl, and they are the people we sometimes wish we could be like. But in Ernest Hemmingway's The Sun Also Rises, there appears not to be anyone that rises above the rest. This point is well illustrated in "A Hard Day's Knight-, where it is said that "There isn't one character who stands out enough, or for any significant period of time, to merit the label of "a hero--(1). Its difficult to find any person that could fit that title, especially in the five basic characters that include Jake, Brett, Mike, Bill, and Robert Cohn. We don't even see a hero in our main character, Jake, through whom th!.
e story is told. Although they each exhibit decent characteristics from time to time, they always find a way to degrade themselves through their shallow personalities and their many vices.
The main character Jake, although probably the most respectable of the group, still doesn't project a hero like image. He seems to be polite and very well liked, but yet he is very uncertain about his place in the world. He puts on a fazade of happiness whenever he is with his friends and attempts to drown his sorrows in alcohol and a flamboyant lifestyle. He doesn't really care for where he lives and he doesn't really have a good amount of self-esteem. He acts as though Robert Cohn is his best friend when in fact he actually despises him, and talks frequently about him behind his back. He doesn't get into any verbal skirmishes, and yet is somewhat of a follower. He doesn't enjoy the drinking and partying as much as the rest of his cronies but he goes along with it, because it is the best way for him to hide his true feelings.
