The Lost Generation and Detachment in the Sun Also Rises

First published in 1926 The Sun Also Rises sought to encourage future generations to rediscover themselves; it details the chronicles of a group of American expatriates living in post-war Europe engaging in little else but drinking and partying. Despite the fact that The Sun Also Rises was a fictional tale, Ernest Hemingway's own personal experiences were often reflected throughout the text. Unlike the sentimentalists and the overly wordy writers who came before him, Ernest Hemingway chose to simplify his writing technique so that the reader could be enveloped by the emotion the novel radiated rather than the tedious adjectives that plagued his predecessors. To fully understand the relationship readers must form with the narrator Jake Barnes, one must comprehend the sensitive and simplistic nature that Ernest Hemingway intended to portray.

Because Hemingway chose an omniscient point of view for The Sun Also Rises, we are forced as readers to rely on Jake Barnes for in depth information about primary characters and major events. In addition, we must decide whether Jake Barnes is a reliable and valid source of information and how accurate his depictions are of other characters and events. Much like the idea of the "lost generation" suffering detachment from society, Hemingway portrays a very significant detachment between Jake and society through his narrating.

Contradictions often occur within the novel due to Jake's responsibility as narrator; a dichotomy exists because Jake must fulfill his duties as narrator while maintaining his role in the dialogue. It becomes obvious through Jake's relationships that he knows more about these characters than he is willing to divulge; this undisclosed knowledge adds to the mystery that intrigues us as readers. Although his indifferent attitude is ever-present, from time to time Jake reveals his true passions and desires from within. Unfortunately Jake exists as an "unreliable" character, so we must find pertinent details through his dialogue with other characters, submerged meanings, and external sources.

Very early in the novel it becomes apparent that much of the information we will come to know about Jake will be through his dialogue with other characters. Because of Hemingway's chosen writing style and subtle language, it is through dialogue that we learn more about the genital wound that Jake sustained from the war that affects him more than he leads on. Bill states: "You don't work. One group claims women support you. Another group claims your impotent" (Hemingway 120). This sort of jesting represents the way the "lost generation" have learned to cope with such matters. Although Jake claims such remarks do not bother him, it has severely affected his subconscious actions and his relationship with Brett.

The Sun Also Rises is riddled with submerged meanings and contextual clues that guide our perception of Jake and the problems that haunt his existence. The "lost generation" has suffered the depression of a post-war world and has generally become more jaded and less fazed; this overwhelming and increasingly ironic period has led them to indulgent lifestyles spent celebrating but never finding true happiness. Many parallels can be drawn between their uncaring attitudes about the bloodshed of the bulls and the arduously fought war. It becomes most notable when Jake comments on the rowdy bulls:

"They're only dangerous when they're alone, or only two or three of them together....They only want to kill when they're alone. Of course, if you went in there you'd probably detach one of them from the herd, and he'd be dangerous" (Hemingway 145).

These contextual elements provide intriguing elaborations on the few adjectives and descriptions of the characters that we know so little about. The idea that they sedate themselves night after night and tolerate the violence of war and the brutality of bullfights sheds light on their jaded generation.

Despite the fact that so few of the characters appreciate the world in which they live, Hemingway surmounts many daunting tasks to nearly deem nature as a character itself. Natural elements are constantly surrounding the characters through their disillusionment and dismissal of nature. This natural beauty paints the backdrop for the constant violence and recounting tales of the war; their lives now only marked by pleasure and the search for a meaning and purpose they will never achieve."Let no man be ashamed to kneel in the great out-of-doors" Bill says. "Remember, the woods were God's first temples"(Hemingway 127). Bill and Jake mock the natural and trivial world they live in, but it is the same nature they take solace in that they also destroy and scrutinize.

Irony plagues Jake through his deliberate detachment because he is only suppressing his own dependence. It is through his symbiotic relationships that we come to recognize his blatant weaknesses, suppressed desires, and negative connotations. Considering Jake has fallen victim to his generation, his definitive superficial and irresponsible qualities emerged despite what his humble narrating would lead us to believe. Because Hemingway opposed conventional writing styles, the notion of the "lost generation" translates perfectly to the writing style of the author because of its detached nature. Although much of the novel's detail must be gathered from active reading, it allows readers to engage creatively throughout the novel by sifting through Jake's true feelings and his embellishments.