There have been many different themes in that of American and European literature. Some themes display a sort of romantic side of society and other themes display dark disillusionment of it all. Existentialism is a common theme among post war writers in which they display a character's scorn of society and their realization of its downfall. These characters will also, usually, question life's importance. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," by T.S. Eliot, and "The End of Something," by Ernest Hemingway, are both existential works from a European perspective as well as an American perspective. These two works contain some similarities as well as some differences.
             "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and "The End of Something" contain some similarities between them. Both characters "see too much and see too deep" (Henri Barbusse, HelI). This means that the character perceives life in a different fashion from that of the masses. They have also seen more than the ordinary person. Both characters have obviously seen war either from a soldier's point of view ("The End of Something") or from a citizen who lives in the destruction of Europe ("The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"). They know first hand the downward spiral of civilization. Essentially, they believe there is no hope for mankind, and that life in itself is futile. They have seen the vast amounts of death and destruction and realize that there is no such thing as permanence. Loves will always be lost, money will always evaporate, and power will always be diminished; what was done will be undone, eventually. This is why Nick ("The End of Something") does not try to communicate with his girlfriend, what's the point?
             There are also some differences between that of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and "The End of Something." The charact...