The Sun Also Rises: Pedro Romero and Count Mippipopolous
The Sun Also Rises
In Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, we encounter two very interesting characters—Pedro Romero and Count Mippipopolous —who represent what Hemingway called an ‘exemplar”. An exemplar is someone who lives life in an exemplary manner. He is usually a man who experiences a sacred hurt and found joy. We see Jake Barns learn from Romero and Mippipopolous’s impressive outlook on life and apply it to his own life. In contrast to other characters that fervently search for meaning and fulfillment, Count Mippipopolous understands and embodies his meaning. The Count, a seventy-five year old, wealthy man, truly understands the value of life through long, hard experience. The Count, who participated in seven wars and four revolutions, has scars from an arrow wound that cut clean into stomach through to his back. They establish that he suffered the sacred hurt by looking death in the face. Nevertheless, he does not whine about his scars or his service in the wars. In fact, he is humble: When asked what happened, he avoids the subject altogether. When Brett asks if the Count was in the army, the Count says, “‘I was on a business trip, my dear.’” Rather than brag about his sacrifice, the Count dismisses it with a simple, vague answer. His near death experience is probably what caused him to realize the value of life.
The Count’s passion for champagne and wines reveals that he strives to always enjoy the moment, because he knows he is never going to have that moment again. The Count instructs Brett to drink slowly: “‘There, my dear. Now enjoy that slowly, and then you can get drunk’”(66). He tells Brett to savor every drop of the luxurious champagne by drinking it slowly—not drink to empty her glass. He wants Brett to remain sober so that she can appreciate its exquisite scent and taste.
The Count values not only the wine itself but also the experience of drinking the wine. He ceremoniously presents his alcohol: “I brought a towel and he wiped the
In Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, we encounter two very interesting characters—Pedro Romero and Count Mippipopolous —who represent what Hemingway called an ‘exemplar”. An exemplar is someone who lives life in an exemplary manner. He is usually a man who experiences a sacred hurt and found joy. We see Jake Barns learn from Romero and Mippipopolous’s impressive outlook on life and apply it to his own life. In contrast to other characters that fervently search for meaning and fulfillment, Count Mippipopolous understands and embodies his meaning. The Count, a seventy-five year old, wealthy man, truly understands the value of life through long, hard experience. The Count, who participated in seven wars and four revolutions, has scars from an arrow wound that cut clean into stomach through to his back. They establish that he suffered the sacred hurt by looking death in the face. Nevertheless, he does not whine about his scars or his service in the wars. In fact, he is humble: When asked what happened, he avoids the subject altogether. When Brett asks if the Count was in the army, the Count says, “‘I was on a business trip, my dear.’” Rather than brag about his sacrifice, the Count dismisses it with a simple, vague answer. His near death experience is probably what caused him to realize the value of life.
The Count’s passion for champagne and wines reveals that he strives to always enjoy the moment, because he knows he is never going to have that moment again. The Count instructs Brett to drink slowly: “‘There, my dear. Now enjoy that slowly, and then you can get drunk’”(66). He tells Brett to savor every drop of the luxurious champagne by drinking it slowly—not drink to empty her glass. He wants Brett to remain sober so that she can appreciate its exquisite scent and taste.
The Count values not only the wine itself but also the experience of drinking the wine. He ceremoniously presents his alcohol: “I brought a towel and he wiped the