The Sun Also Rises Questions

Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.

  1. In what ways are the male and female characters in the novel similar? How are they different? What might Hemingway be saying about sexuality and love in the post-war world?
  2. Compare and contrast Cohn, Mike, and Jake. Consider their wartime experiences, relationships with women, etc. How are they similar? Different?
  3. Is Brett a sympathetic character?
  4. Is it possible to generalize about whether the characters that served in WWI (Jake, Bill, Mike, the Count, Brett) are different from Cohn, who did not?
  5. How would The Sun Also Rises be similar or different if narrated by a character other than Jake? How would Cohn tell the story? Brett? Mike?