The Sun Also Rises is a brilliant book written by Ernest Hemingway, that illustrates the decadence during the 1920's. Throughout the book Hemingway expresses at the time an illegal habit in America, alcoholic drinking. He also displays the beginning of open sexual/physical contact, flirting with more than one person, and having more than one sexual partner. Hemingway's characters shows decry in their work habits. Throughout the book Hemingway displays many examples of the modern world in the 1920's, and the decline in moral standards. Alcoholism was big during the 1920's, and Hemingway displays this moral decay of values through the eyes of his characters. Hemingway illustrates this at all parts of the book. Whenever Barnes is at a club, his house, hotel room he is drinking. At San Sebastian, Cohn and Brett were said to be drinking. While Jake and Bill were on their fishing trip they were drinking wine the whole time and everyone was drinking during the weeklong fiesta. During this time in the US drinking was illegal, and Hemingway was showing a lack of respect, and care for the law. He was able to illustrate the modern world and its increase in alcoholism and its decrease of the moral values during the 1920's. Ernest Hemingway shows his brilliance by displaying the decay in moral standards. One of those moral standards was the openness of peoples" being attracted to the opposite sex, or same sex. Hemingway chose to display this by using Brett as his center point and having everyone she comes in contact with fall in love with her. At the beginning of the book Brett was with a group of openly gay men. The gay guys were dancing with each other and being open about their sexual preference. This really didn't happen before the war. Throughout the book Brett and Barnes flirt a lot and they also kiss several times. Brett also has and affair and sleeps with Cohn at San Sebastian. Brett also chooses to flirt and lead on Count Mippipopulous.
