The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway is a classic novel, telling the story of Americans in Europe in the early nineteen-twenties. The characters who are showcased in the this story are part of the Lost Generation, the generation who lived through the horrors of World War I, called the Great War in that time period. Many of them, such as the characters in The Sun Also Rises, developed a cynical attitude towards American life and chose to immigrate to Europe. .
The most affected of all the people of this time period are probably the veterans of the war. Experiencing it from the front lines, they endured the most traumatic times of the era. Jake Barnes, the story's narrator, fought in the war. During his service, he was shot and injured in such a way that engaging in sexual intercourse was difficult, and almost impossible. Undoubtedly, Jake's views of America were tainted afterwards. .
However, the veterans of the war were not the only Americans desirous of becoming expatriates. Robert Cohn may be the best example of this. A Jewish non-veteran, Robert shared the same cynical attitudes as the majority of Americans of the decade. .
World War I was assuredly not the only factor in Robert's cynicism. Not unlike most of the characters of The Sun Also Rises, Robert experienced harsh alienation from society, in his case, anti-Semitism. This ignorance had negative effects on throughout his life.
During the war, Robert was a student at Princeton University, where his fellow students treated him with rampant religious prejudice. In an attempt to alleviate the pain of anti-Semitism and to build his confidence back up, he took up boxing, in which he received a flattened nose, and the title of Middleweight Boxing Champion. .
Despite his success as a boxer, the prejudice at Princeton did not cease. After graduation, he married the first woman that treated him with kindness. However, the marriage would prove to be affected by his cynical attitude as well.
