Evaluate “The Sun Also Rises” as a fictional chronicle of a “lost generation.”

Answer

Evaluate “The Sun Also Rises” as a fictional chronicle of a “lost generation.” [NU: 2015]

Ernest Hemingway’s (1899–1961) “The Sun Also Rises” (1926) is regarded as one of the most important books about the “lost generation.” The “lost generation” was a term given to the young people who lived through World War I. After the war, many of them felt aimless, confused, and hopeless. Hemingway’s novel shows this sadness, restlessness, and emptiness of this generation. This is why this novel is a fictional chronicle (record) of their lives.

The Lost Generation: The phrase “lost generation” was first used by American novelist Gertrude Stein. This term perfectly describes the characters in “The Sun Also Rises.” In the novel, the main character, Jake Barnes, and his friends live in Europe after the war. They are expatriates, living away from their home countries. They spend their time drinking, traveling, fishing, watching bullfights, and moving from one place to another. But these activities do not give them peace or purpose. Their lives feel empty inside. They are unable to find meaning.

Jake’s Unfulfilled Love with Brett: One of the strongest examples of the “lost generation” in the novel is Jake Barnes himself. Jake fought in World War I and was badly wounded. His injury left him impotent (unable to have sex). This injury makes his love for Lady Brett Ashley painful and hopeless. Jake loves Brett deeply, but he can never have a complete relationship with her. At one point, Jake asks Brett:

“Couldn’t we live together, Brett? Couldn’t we just live together?”

Jake is asking Brett if they can make a life together. But Brett rejects him. She knows she will always need passion and sex from other men, which would only hurt Jake more. Jake’s unfulfilled love is a symbol of the whole generation’s sense of unfulfillment. So, Jake becomes a strong representative of the lost