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
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 888
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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