“The Sun Also Rises” as a Fictional Chronicle of the ‘Lost Generation’.

Answer

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

Ernest Hemingway’s (1899-1961) “The Sun Also Rises” (1926) is often regarded as a defining novel of the “lost generation,” a term used to describe the disillusioned and aimless young people who lived through World War I. The novel captures the sense of loss, confusion, and restlessness that characterized this generation, making it a powerful fictional chronicle of their experiences.

Lost Generation: The term “lost generation” was popularized by writer Gertrude Stein, and it perfectly describes the characters in “The Sun Also Rises”. In the novel, Jake and his friends are expatriates, living in Europe after the war. They are people who have lost their sense of purpose and direction in life. Jake and his friends spend their days drinking, traveling, and socializing, but these activities do little to fill the emptiness they feel inside.

Jake’s Unfulfilled Love with Brett: One of the main ways the novel illustrates the lost generation is through its portrayal of Jake Barnes. Jake, a war veteran, has been physically and emotionally wounded by the war. His injury has left him impotent (sexually disabled).

Jake’s injury prevents him from having a fulfilling romantic relationship with Lady Brett Ashley, the woman he loves. Jake says to Brett,

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

In this heartbreaking line, Jake begs Brett for a life together, but she rejects him. Since Jake has become impotent, Brett knows her need for sex, which she would have to get from other men, would break Jake’s heart.

At the novel’s very end, Brett becomes emotional and wishes to stay with Jake. However, Jake rejects Brett’s emotional approach –

Yes, isn’t it pretty to think so?

With this final line of the novel, Jake realizes the hard reality that Brett will never settle down with one man, not even him, and acknowledges their love