The Lost Men Character Analysis

World War Ⅰ had a grave affect on those who fought. The veterans of the Great War became known as the Lost Generation. Being part of the Lost Generation came with a feeling of unfulfillment, numbness and alienation. They often felt out of touch with society, as they had experienced trauma that one cannot understand unless he/she has lived it. This feeling often resulted in avoiding feeling or issues with alcohol, traveling and even comedy. Many of the main characters in the novel fought in the war and and moved to Paris after. Jake Barnes, the narrator of the novel, is emblematic of the Lost Generation. He is a veteran, expatriate who was born in America and, after fighting in World War Ⅰ, moved to Paris where he could escape any unwanted

Alcohol is used as a way to numb any kind of pain. During the fiesta of San Fermin, the characters are constantly drinking and getting drunk. If someone is upset, the solution is to have a drink. During a dinner with his friends, Jake notices that, “It was like certain dinners I remembered from the war. Here was much wine, an ignored tension, and a feeling of things coming that you could not prevent. Under the wine I lost the disgusted feeling and was happy” (p 151). While Jake served in the war, alcohol was used as a way of avoidance, and even after the war, alcohol is still being used in the same way. The alcohol covers up any emotions one does not want to face. When Count Mippipopolous is going showing off his wine knowledge, he exclaims: “This wine is good for toast-drinking, my dear. You don’t want to mix emotions up with wine like that. You lose the taste” (p 66). The purpose of drinking is to mask any emotion, so to mix emotions with wine would ruin the purpose of drinking. Towards the end of the fiesta, Jake is upset. He is talking to Bill and Bill tries to make him feel better by buying him drinks. When it appears the alcohol is not helping Jake feel any better, Bill tells him, “Get tight. Get over your depression” (225). They use alcohol as a way of coping. Alcohol is the only solution they

When it is first mentioned, Jake is talking to Georgette, a harlot. He thinks to himself: “We would probably have gone on and discussed the war and agreed that it was in reality a calamity for civilization, and perhaps would have been better avoided. I was bored enough” (p 25). Everyone understands that the war was damaging, but it is a cliché to discuss it. He was “bored enough” to talk about it. The war is a last resort for conversation. Later, when Jake talks about his war injury, he thinks, “Of all the ways to be wounded. I suppose it was funny” (p 38). His injury is one that changed his life and will not be able to recover from, but he supposes it is “funny.” He minimizes the severity of the injury by seeing the comedy in