The Sun Also Rises

Since I had read A Moveable Feast by Hemingway, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I actually liked The Sun Also Rises better than The Moveable Feast.

I enjoyed the entire book, except for one character.  That character was Brett.  She was just mean and seemed to flirt with one too many guys.  At multiple times, Brett made it very clear that she would never end up with Jake in the end because she wouldn't be willing to give up sex.

Like in A Moveable Feast, there was a lot of drinking involved.  However, that was the norm when this book was written.  And, like in A Moveable Feast, many important events happened when the characters were having a drink. 

While Cohn wasn't one of my favorite characters, I feel bad that he fell for Brett.  He would try his best to get her attention, but I don't think that following her around would give him any chance of Brett noticing him.  His stalker-like behavior led to Mike, Brett's fiancé, calling Cohn a steer.  The building tension between Mike, who strongly dislikes Cohn (probably because Cohn is following Brett around), and Cohn eventually leads to a fight between the two which Cohn, being the middleweight boxing champion at Princeton, managed to beat Mike.

Jake's condition was continuously mentioned throughout the novel.  The war injury that he received plays a major part in his relationship that he and Brett could have had together.  However, because of her unwillingness to give up sex, their relationship, or at least the one he would like to have with Brett, is nonexistent.

Overall, I really did enjoy The Sun Also Rises and I will probably end up reading it again.

Did I Kill Herman Mildew? No. Do I Think Whoever Did Should Get an Award? Yes

To tell you the truth, I'm glad that Herman Mildew is dead.  I think the person that did it should get an award.  I’ve heard just about a million rumors of how he died, most of them were typical murder stuff:  house fire, drive by, mugged.  And some of them were really weird, like someone had said that he got a paper cut and bled out.  I mean, come on, who does that?  But don't get me wrong:  I did NOT kill Herman Mildew.

Mildew was a cruel man; I should have listened to what everyone else was saying about him.  When I was looking for an editor, everyone was telling me to not even give him a second thought.  But, stupid me, I thought "what the heck," and went to meet the guy.  He seemed decent enough, I could handle his paranoia and loud and obnoxious ways, but there was one thing I couldn't stand.

He hated small furry animals, AND he was cruel to them.  What is up with that?  Mice and rats I can understand, most people don't like them, but to hate and be cruel to every single small animal is completely insane in my opinion.

Now, if you can’t already tell, I love animals.  I have a ton of them:  cats, dogs, guinea pigs, geckos, birds, you name it, there’s a good chance that I have at least one.

Had I seen him earlier that day?  Yeah I did.  I told you he was my editor didn’t I?  The day he died was the day that I told him he wasn’t my editor anymore.  Heck, maybe he was so depressed about me leaving that he decided to commit suicide and you guys have it all wrong.  But, then again, he doesn’t seem like the suicidal kind of guy either.

Where was I the rest of the day?  Well, after I left his office, I had lunch with one of my friends, I went to the pet store to pick up some stuff – and no, it was not another animal, it was just food and toys – and then I went home for the rest of the day.  I wrote for the rest of the day, played with the animals, and went to bed.  The next morning, I wake up and BAM!  I found out that the pessimistic, vulgar, tub of lard was dead.

Why do I hate him so much?  Hey, hey, wait a minute.  Hate is a very strong word.  I prefer to think of it as a very strong dislike for Mr. Herman Mildew.  And the reason for that, honestly if you can’t figure it out by now then I guess you aren’t that great at picking up small details, now are you?

It’s amazing really.  Some writers and I had a bet.  The bet was to see how long it would take for someone to fly off the handle and kill Mildew.  Most of the other writers were saying within a year or two he’d be gone.  Not me.  I told them “give it ‘til Christmas.”  I guess I win that bet.

It's Time for the Initiation

Personally, out of the Initiation stories, I like "Stepdaughters" the best. Max Apple did a great job showing the transition from girl to woman. The main character Stephanie refuses to accept the stereotype of a woman. Stephanie, to me, is someone who should be admired for her strength in standing up. For some, it's not easy to tell your parents that you want to anything in your own way, even me.  I don’t know what it is, but there’s something in me that doesn’t want to disappoint my parents. 

Even when she's struggling to make an identity for herself, Stephanie never gives up. I think that Apple did an amazing job showing this struggle in the girl’s choices and "initiation."  I wish that there were more stories like this, stories that portrayed a strong girl who is willing to go against her mother’s wishes and follow her own path.  If Stephanie’s aiming for the Olympics, then she should follow that dream.  Why shouldn’t she?  Because her mother wants her to stay at home?

I feel like Stephanie is a relatable character to many people.  Whether it’s standing up to a parent or parents, or going against stereotypical gender roles, which I am not fond of, people, no matter what gender, can relate to Stephanie.  Overall, I think that Apple did an awesome job with this short story.