How do Hemingway and Fitzgerald portray the loss of meaning in post-WWI life? What do their characters seek, and how do they try to find it?
Both Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald masterfully depict the loss of meaning in post-World War I life, capturing the existential struggles of a generation disillusioned by the horrors of war and the emptiness of modern society. Their characters search desperately for purpose, identity, and fulfillment, often in ways that ultimately lead to disappointment and despair.
Hemingway’s Approach: The Search for Meaning in Action
Hemingway, known for his terse, minimalist prose, portrays characters who seek meaning through physical experience, escape, and emotional detachment. In The Sun Also Rises, Jake Barnes and his circle of expatriates drift aimlessly through Europe, masking their emotional wounds with drinking, travel, and superficial relationships. War has stripped them of certainty, leaving them unable to find true connection or purpose. Jake, unable to be with the woman he loves due to a war injury, embodies the tragic search for meaning in a world that feels irreparably broken.
Hemingway’s characters often turn to adventure, danger, or discipline to create structure in their lives. Whether through bullfighting, fishing, or war itself, they attempt to restore a sense of control—but their pursuits rarely lead to genuine fulfillment.
Fitzgerald’s Approach: The Illusion of Wealth and Romance
Fitzgerald’s works, particularly The Great Gatsby, focus on the pursuit of an idealized dream—often through wealth, status, and romantic obsession. Jay Gatsby believes that by accumulating immense wealth and carefully crafting an image of success, he can recreate the past and win back Daisy Buchanan. Yet, his dream is built on illusion, and despite his relentless efforts, he remains unfulfilled. His tragic end reinforces the idea that chasing material success or nostalgic ideals cannot restore lost meaning.
Fitzgerald’s characters frequently struggle with a sense of emptiness beneath their glamorous exteriors. The roaring parties, extravagant lifestyles, and social ambition of the 1920s mask deep insecurities and a yearning for something more. Yet, much like Gatsby’s unattainable dream, their searches often end in disillusionment and despair.
A Shared Theme: Escapism and Disillusionment
Both authors present characters who seek meaning through distraction—whether in love, wealth, adventure, or excess—but ultimately find themselves lost, isolated, or unable to reclaim what they long for. Hemingway’s expatriates attempt to live in the moment to escape their past, while Fitzgerald’s social climbers obsess over recreating a golden past that cannot be revived.
Their works serve as a powerful reflection of the Lost Generation, a cohort grappling with the psychological aftermath of war, the failures of the American Dream, and the search for purpose in a world that feels fundamentally changed.