Like much of Hemingway's work, The Sun Also Rises is defined by its sparse construction and compact diction. Hemingway uses short senteces, broad details, and colloquial diction to create a barren and incomplete world, convincingly emulating the postwar modern experience. This is particularly evident in the conversations Jake holds with the other characters in the novel, especially Brett. The dialogue in The Sun Also Rises feels fragmented and incoherent; partly because the actual snippets of conversation often vacillate abruptly between banal trivialities and emotionally-charged outbursts, and partly because of Jake's mental notes and observations which provide context and depth to seemingly-banal surface conversation.

This approach to conversation is exemplified in Jake's first exchange with Brett, which features such cryptic lines as "It's in restraint of trade" and "You've made a new one there" (30). Short, snappy, matter-of-fact lines such as these convey an atmosphere of weary familiarity. Both participants have been over this conversation many times before, and can communicate its essentials with a minimum of effort. Neither Brett nor Jake have anything new or interesting to contribute to their relationship, and the conversation reflects that worn-out dissatisfaction.