Interpreting The Sun Also Rises From The Perspective Of Sartre’s Existentialism

Existentialism is an important philosophical genre in modern western world which emerged in the1920s and was popular from the1940s to the1960s. The fundamental subjects of the existential literature disclose the absurdity of the world and the nihility of human life. Meanwhile, it affirms human’s existence preceding their essences and advocates man’s individual freedom of choice and action. This idea reflects the confusion of western people after the war and also expresses the deep attention for the existence of human beings.Ernest Hemingway is the most influential American writer, and most of his works reflect his unique view of the condition and the meaning of human’s existence. And Hemingway’s existential thoughts have deep impact on the philosophy of existentialism which prevailed during the Second World War. Hemingway’s most important novel The Sun Also Rises describes an absurd and chaotic world after WWI, and the war brings so much pain to human beings and destroys people’s normal life. Living in this absurd world, men have lost faith and life ideal, and then have become the "lost generation" with a nihilistic life. However, the world is absurd, life is miserable, and characters in the novel possess the spirit of "steel-willed man". They are looking positively for the meaning and value of being through making free choices and taking actions. These ideas are in accordance with the existentialism.This thesis is in the light of Sartre’s theory of existentialism to explore the existential tendency in The Sun Also Rises. The whole thesis consists of introduction, body and conclusion. The body has three chapters to discuss the existential thoughts in the novel from the following aspects existence, absurdity and nihility, and man’s freedom of choice.The first chapter is to study the existence in The Sun Also Rises combing with the introduction of the relevant social situation as well as Hemingway’s characters’ spiritual world. That is the macroscopic analysis. The second part analyzes the absurdity in the novel from the aspects: the chaos of life, the consciousness of misery and the collapse of religious faith and life ideal. The third chapter demonstrates characters like Hemingway’s "Code Heroes" living in the absurd world and facing the great pressures which are brought by the misery and nihilistic life. They have freedom to make choices and take actions to achieve grace and dignity under pressure, and then find out the meaning and value of existence.Based on the above analyses, the thesis holds that there is existentialist tendency in Hemingway’s novel and the existential view of life in the novel provides a more thorough understanding of life, inspiring people to face the hardships of life with optimism and to create themselves.