Blue Eyes-Love

"...Your heart got broken to your surprise. You're sick of crying for blue eyes"- Mika "Blue Eyes"

This chapter just seemed like a shattered dream to me. Jimmy Cross used Martha to push him through the war. So far his family isn't mentioned, so perhaps he doesn't even have one. So he uses Martha to push him through the war, making her the reason he's living. Yet 20 years later even when he tells her he loves her "She kept walking and didn't answer and then after several minutes looked at her wristwatch and said it was getting late" (page 28) (*awkward turtle*). Seriously Martha, did you think you guys would only be good friends after you wrote letters, sent pictures and a lucky stone to this young man? So this becomes another thing Jimmy has to carry along with whatever troubles that Jimmy doesn't want Tim to put in his book. I think that mistake is having Lavender killed on his watch but that ended up in the book already so I guess the world will never know.
At least it seems that Jimmy has moved on, I mean the picture from Martha is still intact.

Heavy Words- The Things They Carried

Multiple pages of lists of stuff. Tim O' Brien weighs the reader down by listing every single item that he could in the description of the soldiers. I mean seriously he told you how much the batteries in a radio were (26 pounds fyi)(page 5). Honestly I see this as a overall theme of this book the emotional problems/physical problems these young....REALLY YOUNG soldiers have to carry. An example of this is Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. Who first is attached to this Martha character that doesn't even like him. He then is burdened with the weight of the death of his man Lavender.
Another part of this chapter I really liked can be found on page 17. "Mostly he felt pleased to be alive" I love that Kiowa doesn't dwindle in the death of his friend. Mourning his friend won't bring him back, and what's life worth if it isn't worth living?

The Sun Also Sets- Last post

To further enjoy this book, I've decided to deliver all of my favorite quotes from this book (to show some irony, puns and local color of course)



"Well I've got to get back and get off some cables and it was done. It is very important to discover graceful exits like that in the newspaper business" - said by Jake to Robert who wanted to take off to South America (Page 19)



"You, a foreigner, an Englishman have given more than your life" - Jake's injury (Page 39)



"Oh don't go to hell I said Stick around we're just starting lunch"- Jake telling Robert to cool off (Page 47)



"...and she took great pride in telling me which of my guests were well bought up, which were of good family who were sportsmen...the only trouble was that people who did not fall into any of those three categories were very liable to be told no one was home"- why Brett wasn't allowed to Jake's room (page 60)



"All right. Have it your own way. Road to hell paved with unbought stuffed dogs. Not my fault"- bet you forgot Bill was a taxidermist didn't cha? (page 78)



"Cohn had a wonderful quality of bringing out the worst in everybody"- okay if this little opinion is true then what did Robert do to Brett? she was already pretty bad (page 104)



"..you have no pity. Say something pitiful... Robert Cohn"- Okay by this point I started to feel bad for Robert (page 119)

"Bills a yell of laughter"- I found this to be a great description of Bill my favorite character (page 177)

"Tell him the bull has no balls! Mike shouted. He was drunk"- If Mike wasn't drunk I would be a bit concerned (page 179)

"My God! he's a lovely boy. Brett said. And how I would love to see him get into those clothes. He must use a shoe horn"- Poor Roberto I don't know if that's a compliment or not (page 181)


And that my dears is my quotes of The Sun Also Rises

Jake the Man- XIX

"Oh, Jake Brett said. we could have had such a damned good time together. Ahead was a mounted policeman in khaki directing traffic. He raised his baton. The car slowed suddenly pressing Brett against me. yes I said Isn't it pretty to think so?" (page 251)
Ha HA Brett, you can't have what you want. Jake has finally moved on from you and you're boyish ways. You may dream all you want. One little bit of irony that hit me was that Brett is "not going to be one of these bitches that ruins children" (page 247) because she can't have children with Jake. Perhaps she should of thought of that one before she ran off with Robert, Mike and Roberto (and all the others that aren't named in this book).
This book alludes that men in this generation have a hard time finding their masculinity but I know that Jake is a man. Throughout the book he's grown and by the end, unlike the other males that are destroyed by Brett he ends up on top.

The Great Belmonte- XVIII

"Fifteen years ago they said if you wanted to see Belmonte to be given tragic sensations and perhaps to see the death of Belmonte. Fifteen years ago they said if you wanted to see Belmonte you should go quickly, while he was still alive...When he retired the legend grew up about how his bull-fighting had been"
Belmonte ruined a good thing going for him. He was once a great bullfighter, and was remembered as a legend but due to his super ego those legends and that reputation works against him. In fact his bullfighting is a foil to Roberto, causing Roberto to look better. I'm sure this failure stands for something but I honestly don't know what this symbol is for... however old Belmonte should of stayed in retirement