Teo's blog (objectively the best)

 Although Meursault does end up killing someone in cold blood, I think some of his traits are very childlike and remind me of the ways I used to think when I was a kid. When I read some of these passages I feel a lot of sympathy for Meursault, especially when I know what his fate turned out to be. However, they still remind me of a youthful innocence that I once had. These childlike traits that he has ends up sadly being the cause of his mistake and downfall. An example of a childlike quality he has is how hard it is for him to grasp some people's actions. Many young children have a hard time grasping why some people act or look the way they do, especially when they haven't seen or anything like it. We see this during the funeral when Meursault has trouble understanding why people are crying at his mother's death. Children are much more naive than adults when it comes to trust and judgment of characters (e.g. "I have candy in my trunk") and being able to different...

 One of the main themes throughout The Sun Also Rises  is Jake and his struggle with masculinity. Due to his injury and "situationship" with Brett, Jake often questions his masculinity and is afraid to open up about his insecurities. However, one of the only parts in the book where Jake opens up and is genuinely happy is when he visits the Basque country with just Bill. No girl problems, just two bros hanging out and enjoying the beauties of nature. This scene is one of my favorites as it is one of the few areas in the novel that Jake is able to embrace his masculinity in a positive manner. The portrayal of a masculine friendship like this is a really wholesome part of the novel in a novel that is otherwise very depressing from Jake's point of view. Bill is the one person in the novel that Jake truly feels comfortable with, much more than his love interest in Brett. While we see the group putting on a sort of facade and using constant irony to deflect when around each oth...