The Significance of Mealtime

Throughout literature the power of food is interpreted in different ways, all of which stem from the original meals of the Bible. The unifying quality of a meal, first shown in the iconic story of the Last Supper, is remembered by many religions during weekly communion. Food is also present in the book of Mark when the disciples do not know how to feed a large group of starving people. Jesus blesses the small amount of bread and fish and “they did all eat, and were filled”(42). In this biblical passage food represents Jesus’s power and is viewed as a blessing. This necessity for food contrasts Ernest Hemingway’s use of the theme in his celebrated novel, The Sun Also Rises. He uses cafés and mealtimes to represent a social experience that is full of indulgence and extravagance. Food is also represented in these famous works:

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart
James Joyce’s “The Dead”

3 Responses to The Significance of Mealtime

grayj888 says:

May 1, 2014 at 6:28 pm

I enjoyed the quote from the bible very much and think that it fits perfectly into your post. I think that it would be a good idea to pick one occurence in the Sun Also Rises that correlates to the bible. I am very interested to see which one would fit the best. Great Post!

ablyster says:

May 1, 2014 at 6:36 pm

Your explanation was really clear and concise, and well explained! Does the contrast of this biblical allusion in Hemingway’s work related to his biography/religious upbringing? The one thing that could make this paragraph even better, is if you went into more detail about The Sun also Rises to talk more about how it contrasts the biblical allusion, and perhaps briefly (in a couple words) explaining it in the works listed at the bottom. Don’t worry, I didn’t explain that part either on mine though….

15cgb says:

May 1, 2014 at 10:34 pm

I really like how you incorporated two examples from the Bible that correlate with your post. I also thought it was clever how you decided to contrast Hemingway’s novel and the Bible when the majority of people might have compared. Can you think of an example in which Hemingway’s novel and the Bible have a similar message with regards to food/meals? All in all, great work!