海明威完美诠释迷惘的一代的作家

Ernest Hemingway: The Writer Best Exemplifying the Lost Generation

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The Lost Generation is a literary genre appeared after World War I. It generally refers to a literary genre as well as the generation in the aftermath of the war. For the literary genre, the authors` works reflect the hatred of teenagers towards the war and the psychology of being painful and confused for losing the direction of life. But the authors all have their own independent style. Representative men are Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner. For the generation, they abandoned their responsibilities and were addicted to all kinds of joy such as drug and sex. Undeniable, the Lost Generation has profound impact to the American teenagers.

In fact, the revolt of the Lost Generation was a logical outcome of conditions in the age. The factorization that industrialization brought forced young men to get rid of their polite behavior and well-bred morally. The war was just the catalyst. Besides, countless young people like Hemingway rushed to the war with the dream of democracy only found the cruelty there. They were disappointed and confused. And they found there was no room for their traditional values and because of the policy of U.S. government made they were disappointed to American government. Thereby, they alienated from the Americanism. They lost their faith and the direction of life. So, gradually, they indulged in all sorts of “happiness”.

Hemingway combined his real experience and his feelings to his works. Hemingway had joined World War I. After the war, he was rewarded the Military Cross, the Silver Medal and the Bravery medal by Italia government. But he had 237 injuries on his body and demonic memory in his mind. When he recovered, he wrote his first important novel, The Sun Also Rises. In this novel, Hemingway wrote

a group of young adults stranded in France who lost their direction in the aftermath of World War I. The war brought incredibly pain both physically, mentally and morally. Apparently, they pursued pleasures but inside they felt desperately sorrow. The protagonist Jake Barnes lost his sexual capacity in the war and Brandt, the female protagonist, lost her family. They loved each other but can`t combine and they had a lot of contradictions. Jake took Brandt to Pyrenees Mountains, and was inspired by the bullfighting. He thought this was the reflection of human`s power and true meaning of life, which was also the place where the sun rises. This was similar to Hemingway. The war had very profound influence on him. He lost his love and became depressed. Then he went to Paris, trying to have a different life. He might not found his faith of life but he still cherished the memory of fighting in the war like all other young adults. War was a part of their life. War breaks them and creates them. Hemingway tried to express his thought that though war brought harm to them but they stood up from the pain.

A Farewell to Arms wrote by Hemingway is also a best description of the Lost

Generation. Henry, the protagonist, was an American adult who joined the battlefield in Italy. He felt in love with Catherine when he was injured. Because of a series of events and misunderstandings, he decided to run away from the war with Catherine. They had a wonderful life within a limited time. Catherine died of dystocia and the infant suffocated as well. Henry knew he parted the war forever but he had no future. Hemingway thought that the war was the root cause of the Lost Generation. Although the war was over, it still caused the confusion and desperation.

These two novels were both created in the 1920s. At that time, Hemingway detested the war, despaired of the society and lost the direction of life. Even though he created many great works, these two were the novels best exemplifying the Lost Generation. It feels like we go back to the World War I through his novel. We can see countless young adults feeling so depressed and despaired but couldn’t find a salvation. Hemingway was exactly their spokesman. He wrote everyone`s heart. However, as he ended his life with a bullet, he was also suffering the consequence of the war had brought to everyone. He was the spiritual monument of America, his works, not only The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms, inspired millions of people. His suicide totally shocked the whole world.

People realized that something important began to disappear: his writing style, his struggle and his spirit.

As the distinguished representative of the Lost Generation, Hemingway not only made up stories, but also wrote out the true situation of the Lost Generation. While, more significant, he was not always run to sentiment. From his another works The Old Man and the Sea, he showed the enterprising spirit of human. His famous saying: “Man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated,” which is also wish for the Lost Generation: they can stand up from the pain. Hemingway, the writer who best exemplifying the Lost Generation with his experience, his spirit and his toughness.