Novel “The sun also rises“ by Ernest Hemingway, part 1 (Worksheet)

A lot of students like reading books in their original languages. It can enlarge vocabulary and improve not only their reading skills but also speaking if the discussion is provided as a follow-up activity. This worksheet is designed for intermediate and upper — intermediate students. The tasks are suitable both for private and for group lessons.

Summary of the novel

“The Sun Also Rises“ is a novel by an American author, Ernest Hemingway, which was published in 1926. Ernest Hemingway was a veteran of World War I. It is through authors like him that we get a literary description of the lost generation. The book portrays American and British expatriates who travel from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona to watch the bullfights.  It consists of three books (parts) that are narrated by Jake Barnes, an American expatriate, and journalist. Book One takes place in Paris, France. Book Two follows Jake as he travels around Spain and primarily occurs in the town of Pamplona. Book Three also takes place in Spain.

Book One shows us how Jake interacts with a lot of American expatriates. They spend their time basically on drinking and talking. First, we meet Robert Cohn, a Jewish writer. Cohn is staying in Paris with his fiancée Frances, who is thirty years old and is afraid of losing her beauty. At the end of Book One Cohn ends up leaving her. The next major character is Lady Ashley. Jake wants to get back together with Brett, but she refuses. She says that she loves him but can’t stand being with him because of the impotence he received in World War I.

Most of Book Two takes place in Pamplona, Spain, where the friends watch the bullfights. There is more and more drinking and having parties. Soon Brett begins an affair with a nineteen-year-old bullfighter named Pedro Romero. Cohn, upset that he is losing Brett, gets into a physical fight with Jake and knocks him out. Then Cohn gets into a fight with Pedro and beats him up badly. Book Two ends with Cohn leaving town, Brett running away with Pedro, and Mike drinking himself into a stupor.

When Book Three opens, the fiesta is over. Jake goes to San Sebastian. And soon he learns that Brett is in trouble in Madrid. When he gets to Madrid, Brett explains that she broke up with Pedro because he wanted to marry her and she didn’t want to ruin him. She also says that she can’t marry Mike anymore. The story ends with Jake and Brett going out to explore Madrid together.

The theme of “lost generation“ appears in each chapter of the book. In fact, the characters are lost because of World War I. They don’t have only visible physical injuries, but also the mental and emotional scars.

Read more:

Novel “The sun also rises“ by Ernest Hemingway, part 2 (Worksheet)

Novel “The sun also rises“ by Ernest Hemingway, part 3 (Worksheet)