At the end of World War I, one that had seen the invention of machine guns and tanks, was left a damaged nation with damaged people. Ernest Hemingway's novel is set during this post war time. The ill effects of war are shown by the veteran and civilian character contrast in "The Sun Also Rises." Hemingway displays these effects on veterans through examples of constant drinking and traveling, loathing of the non-veteran character, and inclusion in the Lost Generation.
There is substance abuse and travel in almost every page of "The Sun Also Rises." .
First, Hemingway used the motif of drinking in the novel to display the efforts of the veteran characters to forget their past and problems. The characters were plagued with the psychological and physical effects of war. To counter these problems they would get drunk "but just enough to be careless"" (pg. 25). Their travel is another way they try to escape their problems. Jake and his friends are constantly traveling between cafes, bars, cities and countries, usually without purpose. The motion in the novel is almost dizzying, with the characters rapidly changing environments. The veteran characters keep moving to distract themselves from their inner turmoil. However, this does not help them escape their reality much as they would like, Jake admits that he has tried when he tells Robert, "Listen, Robert, going to another country doesn't make any difference. I've tried all that. You can't get away from yourself by moving from one place to another. There's nothing to that" (pg. 11). .
Lastly, According to Dr. Alsapan Toker, International Burch University assistant professor of English literature, most characters "experience distinct and numerous stages of alienation" "(Toker) causing them to roam and drink excessively. There was no one that could help them with their psychological problems from the war so they helped numb their own minds through abusing alcohol.