The Lost Generation's Quest: Disillusionment and Identity in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises

Abstract

Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises is a defining novel of the “Lost Generation,” capturing the spiritual and moral disorientation of a post-World War I generation. This paper explores the themes of disillusionment, fragmented identity, and the existential quest for meaning among the expatriates who populate Hemingway’s narrative. Through a close analysis of characters such as Jake Barnes, Lady Brett Ashley, and Robert Cohn, this study reveals how Hemingway’s sparse prose and restrained style mirror the emotional desolation of his characters. Ultimately, the paper argues that The Sun Also Rises functions both as a chronicle of individual struggles and a broader cultural indictment of a generation groping for purpose in a world stripped of traditional values.