The Lost Generation
Ernest Hemingway believes the generation that came of age after World War I is a lost generation. This is apparent in The Sun Also Rises, where his characters lack any direction, wasting their lives in a foreign land drinking, partying, and traveling as a way to escape reality. Jake Barnes, the protagonist, sees this as "a swell life." (120). Hemingway is critical of this lifestyle, with his characters wandering aimlessly in a meaningless world. Hemingway opens The Sun Also Rises with a comment that Gertrude Stein had supposedly made in conversation: "You are all a lost generation." She is addressing Hemingway and his fellow expatriates. The conflict of the war destroyed any faith these people had on traditional values that they were raised with. Their perception of love and morality has been clouded with the drinking and other pleasures of a foreign soil. After World War I, many young men and women saw little purpose in their lives. Robert Cohn is a good example of this. Cohn says, "I can't stand it to think my life is moving so fast and I'm not really living it." (18) Cohn worries that he is wasting his short life, and that his brief time here is serving no ultimate purpose. Jake's response is not very comforting. He respon
They are frustrated at the void in their lives, which they try to fill with this alcohol, only making things worse. In Chapter 16, Mike vigorously insults Cohn about being Jewish, and shouts at him to go away. Fake European standards have ruined you. You spend all your time talking, not working. Jake and his companions are always trying to solve their problems through traveling, which does not seem to correct their unhappiness. He also criticizes Cohn for not knowing when his presence is not wanted. This is shown through Count Mippipopolous and Pedro Romero. He has a sense of dignity and confidence throughout the novel. In Chapter 13, Jake and his friends spend their night drinking in a cafe. Along with travel, Hemingway's characters find alcohol as a form of escapism. But Hemingway portrays Jake as weak, not even able to follow his own advice. They have no passion in their lives, and hide this lack of direction with superficial activities.
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