"The Sun Also Rises": Reflection of American Modernism in Hemingway's Work

First of all, Ernest Hemingway was one of the most significant writers during the Modernist Movement. Hemingway is a writer who destroys the traditional forms of language, in order to make it new. Hemingway’s novel, “The Sun Also Rises,” reflects American modernism in various ways. One of the major thematic interests of this novel is the lost generation. The lost generation literary theme corresponds with the larger themes of American modernism, which are the themes of fragmentation, identity confusion, alienation and disillusionment.

Secondly, Hemingway’s novel, “The Sun Also Rises,” reflects American modernism in more ways than one. The lost generation literary theme corresponds with one of the larger themes of American modernism, which is the theme of fragmentation. The theme of fragmentation is portrayed, many times, throughout the novel. This theme is portrayed when the narrator, Jacob Barnes, goes to the exterior room in his office and notices Robert Cohn is asleep. Barnes does not want to disrupt Cohn, but he needs to turn off the lights and latch the office door. Barnes shook Cohn to try to wake him up. Then, “He looked up. He smiled and blinked” (Hemingway 12). The lost generation literary theme in the novel corresponds with the larger theme of fragmentation, in the sense that the characters are lost, damaged, broken, and disconnected in the moment and in life. The sentence structure of American modernism is broken down to create something new (Belasco and Johnson 812).

Thirdly, the lost generation literary theme in Hemingway’s novel, “The Sun Also Rises,” corresponds with one of the larger themes of American modernism, which is the theme of identity confusion. “The Sun Also Rises,” portrays the characters’ internal struggle to find themselves. Jacob Barnes longs for connection. One evening, while sitting in a café in Paris, Barnes notices a woman walk past him. Eventually, the woman notices Barnes sitting at a table in the café, so she wanders over to him and has a seat. Barnes quickly learns her name is Georgette and questions why she lives in Paris if she is not happy there. The two of them have a few drinks of Pernod, then they go off to another restaurant (Hemingway 14-15). Barnes often goes to multiple restaurants and bars, in hopes of learning more about himself and learning the true meaning of how he got to where he is. The lost generation literary theme in the novel corresponds with the larger theme of identity confusion, in the sense that individuals of the lost generation are often unaware of their belonging in life. The characters in the novel are continually searching for their place in life and in society (Belasco and Johnson 1159).

Next, the lost generation literary theme in Hemingway’s novel, “The Sun Also Rises,” corresponds with one of the larger themes of American modernism, which is the theme of alienation. The characters Jacob Barnes, Lady Brett Ashley, and Robert Cohn experience the theme of alienation in different ways. Barnes is vulnerable and powerless. He does not have much control over the situations in his life. He longs to feel loved and welcome by other individuals, especially by Lady Brett Ashley. However, World War I affected him physically, mentally and psychologically (Hemingway 30-31). Lady Brett Ashley is powerless and continually faces social isolation. She longs to be happy and content in life. The social isolation that she faces causes her to go out to various places and different bars to drink and be promiscuous with other individuals, in hopes of fulfilling her desires (Hemingway 28). Cohn is vulnerable and longs to live life to the fullest, but he constantly faces social isolation. He is perpetually trying to escape his old ways to experience the picturesque lifestyle he imagines. Cohn is continually searching for meaning in life because he has a difficult time relating to other individuals around him. He often feels excluded and longs to move to South America where he believes things will change. However, Barnes reassures him that leaving Paris to go live in a different country will not change anything because he will not be able to escape himself, regardless of how hard he tries (Hemingway 10-11). The lost generation literary theme in the novel corresponds with the larger theme of alienation, in the sense that the characters experience social and individual isolation and disconnection from their surroundings and other individuals around them. The characters have a lack of control over the situations they experience. The lack of control and power causes the characters to try to make quick decisions, in hopes of gaining more power and freedom to live their lives to the fullest (Belasco and Johnson 1029).

In addition, the lost generation literary theme in Hemingway’s novel, “The Sun Also Rises,” corresponds with one of the larger themes of American modernism, which is the theme of disillusionment. Jacob Barnes experiences the theme of disillusionment in various chapters throughout the novel. The theme of disillusionment is portrayed when Barnes sees a cathedral, so he goes inside to pray. He begins to pray for all individuals, whether he likes them or not. During his prayer, he begins to feel tired, so his mind starts to wander. His wandering mind causes him to pray that he will make more money and have fun at the upcoming celebration. While Barnes is praying, he begins to experience feelings of disappointment and shame for being a Catholic. However, he realizes that he cannot change what is already established (Hemingway 96-97). The lost generation literary theme in the novel corresponds with the larger theme of disillusionment, in the sense that the characters experience feelings of despair, guilt and disappointment because of their lives and the situations they are currently in. The characters often look back at what life could have been like if they had done things differently (Belasco and Johnson 1028).

In conclusion, “The Sun Also Rises,” by Ernest Hemingway reflects the dominant philosophical movement of his era, modernism. The lost generation literary theme in “The Sun Also Rises,” corresponds with the larger themes of American modernism, which are the themes of fragmentation, identity confusion, alienation and disillusionment. The characters are portrayed as lost and disconnected from life. The events and plot portray the characters’ internal struggle as they dig deeper to find themselves. The characters experience isolation and disconnection from their surroundings and other individuals around them. The literary theme of disillusionment is portrayed multiple times. The portrayal of disillusionment is important because it reveals the characters’ feelings about the conditions in society and exposes the unfortunate situations that the characters.