A tribute to the 98th anniversary of Ernest Hemingway’s, “The Sun Also Rises,” on July 21, 2024

Reminiscent of the profound themes explored in Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises,” Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump share a relationship that echoes disillusionment and loss of innocence. The shared societal consciousness resonating through our culture is still with us, despite the century that separates these moments in time.

Stormy, a figure of controversy and intrigue, akin to Lady Brett Ashley, captured the public’s fascination with her boldness and defiance against societal norms. Her interactions with Don, then a prominent businessman, like Hemingway’s protagonist Jake Barnes, echo a tangled web of lies and betrayal.

Jake’s love for Lady Brett, is thwarted because he is impotent, a circumstance that is beyond his control. Don, also a victim of circumstance, is married; and a similarly useless partner for Stormy. Jake and Don cannot provide a future for Lady Brett and Stormy. Both women will use the men for their immediate needs, but it is clear to everyone; the men will simply, never be good enough.

The affair’s are enveloped in scandal and secrecy, a poignant reflection of the price paid, in man’s fight against impotence, in his desperate search for idealized masculinity.

In Hemingway’s narrative, the characters embark on a journey to find meaning and purpose in a world forever altered by war. Similarly, Stormy and Don, navigate their own personal battlegrounds, like his marriage and her stripping.

Political intrigue and the relentless pursuit of personal and professional validation, calls to the audience’s yearning for escapism central to the appeal of Hemingway’s protagonist’s. The community feel, parallels today’s public fascination with the private lives of others.

Today, we can reflect on “The Sun Also Rises,” approaching almost one-hundred years since its initial publication and society continues to gaslight itself into believing there ever were innocent times.