The Lost Generation
The Sun Also Rises explores the lost generation and the trauma and aimlessness and loss of purpose that the generation experienced. Jake goes through the entire book without much sense of purpose and doesn't engage in much besides alcohol and activities to take his mind off of things. He navigates through a post-war Europe that has lost its grandeur, instead indulging in pleasures such as drinking and traveling, in order to escape the emptiness and dissatisfaction of his life. He also does it to distract himself from his injury, representing a permanent wound on his mentality and person. It serves a reminder that he can never escape his past in the war. This is similar to how many people had scarring experiences during that time period, showing how WW1 has left something in Europe and the world that would never be forgotten. It also emasculates him, and Hemingway explores the roles of masculinity in a post-war society that left thousands of men with injuries similar to Jake's. World War One may have lasted only four years, but Hemingway shows the reader how the war never left the lost generation and Jake’s injury is a great symbolic reference of that.
The character’s inability to find fulfillment in relationships or society reflect how the generally aimless pursuits of the lost generation. Even the sparse prose of the book mirrors the emptiness of the lost generation, as Hemingway’s writing style shows how the characters struggle to find a clear sense of purpose. While they may move physically from place to place, the characters are emotionally and mentally stuck in the same place throughout the entire book. This further reinforces that idea of Hemingway’s depiction of those of the lost generation as being doomed to be aimless and lost for eternity. The disillusionment of the characters show how an entire generation was left fractured and broken, changed and scarred forever by a war that crumbled the foundations of a past never to return.
The character’s inability to find fulfillment in relationships or society reflect how the generally aimless pursuits of the lost generation. Even the sparse prose of the book mirrors the emptiness of the lost generation, as Hemingway’s writing style shows how the characters struggle to find a clear sense of purpose. While they may move physically from place to place, the characters are emotionally and mentally stuck in the same place throughout the entire book. This further reinforces that idea of Hemingway’s depiction of those of the lost generation as being doomed to be aimless and lost for eternity. The disillusionment of the characters show how an entire generation was left fractured and broken, changed and scarred forever by a war that crumbled the foundations of a past never to return.
I agree, Jake's relationships and constant distractions highlight the deep scars left by WWI, symbolized by his physical and emotional wounds.
ReplyDeleteFollowing WWI, there is a sense of aimlessness and trauma associated with the book's characters. Jake's injury presents a constant reminder of the war's impact, while other characters spend their time in failing relationships and drunkenness, unable to find meaning.
ReplyDeleteI like your observation about how Jake's wound represents the permanent and enduring effects of the trauma of war, and I'd add that the fact that it is "invisible" as he moves through the world also seems significant: unlike the veteran with more visible physical injuries, few of Jake's friends even seem aware of his injury. Like Septimus, at first glance it might appear that there is "nothing whatever the matter with him."
ReplyDeleteI would add that, like Septimus, Jake has also been burned by the ostensible mythology of war--that a young man will be "made into a man" through the crucible of war. In Jake's case, his injury feels like the punchline to the universe's joke, an ironic reversal of being "made into a man" through the experience of war. He will have to live with the trauma of the undoubtedly painful and horrific physical injury AND its pronounced psychological implications (paging Dr. Freud!), but he'll also have to live with the fact that he can't really talk about this trauma with anyone, so he must silently endure the pain and carry on. I'd say he DOES have a more pronounced sense of purpose and meaning than most of these Lost Gen people: he works, and he tries to do good work; and he is committed to and passionate about bullfighting. And--truly unique among this crowd--he also maintains a religious faith, and actually PRAYS in a cathedral multiple times when they're in Spain. It's unclear how well these traditional sources of meaning actually "work" for Jake, but compared to the rest of these freaks, he seems to be at least compelled by older, traditional sources of meaning.
Great post Rohail! I like how you use Jake to highlight the aimlessness of the lost generation. I believe Belmonte also shows this same aimless characteristic. Belmonte lacks purpose in his current place and time, and his accomplishments are attributed to a younger self. When legends of his past exploits leads to unattainable expectations, Belmonte grows bitter and indifferent, unable to maintain the image that he spent his youth constructing.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis of the theme of the book here ties back to the quote in the beginning of the book from the Book of Ecclesiastes. Generations do come and go, there really is nothing new under the sun, and with respect to the universe, we are very small and unimportant. And I feel that this book makes that apparent very subtly, and you really expand on that. Nice blog post.
ReplyDeleteI agree the book definitely highlights how many people felt as if they could not have relationship like those before the war. Brett and Jake's aberrative relationship demonstrates this misalignment with the norms of the previous generation. Brett and Jake are not really sure what they want in life.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting to note the philosophy behind The Sun Also Rises. Hemingway's writing often exhibits existentialist traits, and I think that comes across quite noticeably in this novel. The Lost Generation just floats around aimlessly, since what they do with their life will not matter in the long run. In a way, their life has already ended with the war, and what they are experiencing in The Sun Also Rises is a life of doing whatever just to satiate some innate desire to do something. Maybe Jake and Brett are more similar to someone like Mersault than we might initially realize.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Rohail! I find your explanation of how, despite physically changing locations, the characters remain stuck in the same mental state really eye-opening. It’s true that this is a consistent theme in the book, and what’s interesting is how they somewhat encourage each other to stay the same. I remember in one of our class discussions, someone mentioned how none of them had any real "aspirations." Even though they worked in news or published bestselling books, it never brought them true fulfillment, nor did they seem to view it as a big deal. However, Cohn stands out because he has clear goals and a serious path, which ironically makes him a "laughable" character among them.
ReplyDeleteAmazing blog Rohail! I like where you are headed with this post and I definitely agree that Jake seems to have lost his purpose throughout the book. I think Hemingway depicts the purposelessness very well throughout the story and I like how your blog illustrates that. Great post Rohail.
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