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JenniferAlvarez
Mrs.Carroll
EnglishIII
31December2015

LostGenerationtrait:HemingwayandDorothyParker

Accordingto

Boundless

TheLostGenerationisatermusedtorefertothegeneration
thatcameofageduringWorldWarI.ThetermbecamepopularbecauseofErnestHemingway,
afamousnovelist.Hemingwaywasanauthorwhostronglyinfluencedthe20thcentury.Oneof
hismostpopularnovels
was
AMoveableFeast
whichdocumentsthecommunityinFrance
wheremanyexpatriatessettled.TheLostGenerationwasatimeofdisillusionjustlikeitisseen
inHemingwayandDorothyParkerswriting.
TheLostGenerationwastimeofdisillusionforsocietywhichisseeninErnest
Hemingwayswork.InHemingwaysshortstoryTheKillers,hewrites,Didyoutellhim
aboutit?Georgeasked.Sure.Itoldhimbutheknowswhatitsallabout.Whatshegoingto
do?Nothing.Theyllkillhim.Iguesstheywill.Icantstandtothinkabouthimwaitingin
theroomandknowinghesgoingtogetit.Itstoodamnedawful(39).Inthisquotetwomens
aretalkingaboutamanknowingheisabouttogetkilledandisntdoinganythingaboutitor
eventostopit.Thisrelatestobeingdisillusioned,themanisntwillingtoanythingtobeableto
keeplivingbecausehefindsnoneedtokeepfighting.Thisquotecanalsoberelatedtobeing
disillusionedbecausebothmensaredisappointedthatheisntwillingtofightforlivingand
insteadisgivingup.InanotherofHemingwaysstoryHillsLikeWhiteElephants,hewrites,
You'vegottorealize,hesaid,thatIdon'twantyoutodoitifyoudon'twantto.I'mperfectly
willingtogothroughwithitifitmeansanythingtoyou.Doesn'titmeananythingtoyou?We

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couldgetalong.Doyoufeelbetter?heasked.Ifeelfine,shesaid.There'snothingwrong
withme.Ifeelfine(3).Inthisquoteawomenisactinglikesheisfineafterdoingsomething
shewasntsureofdoingwhichwasaborting.Although,sheseemstobeokaywithit,something
insideherdoesntfeelrightandshehopedthemanfeltthesameway.Thisconnectstobeing
disillusionbecauseapieceofherwasdisappointedwhensheaborted,althoughshesaiditmeant
nothingtoher.Shehadhopethatthemanwouldmaybewanttokeepthebaby.Thishelpsprove
thattheLostGenerationwasaperiodofdisillusion.Noonewaswillingtokeepfightingfortheir
livesoreventheirbelieves.Theybelievedthatthingshadtogoacertainwayandtheycouldnt
doanythingtochangeiteveniftheywantedto.Everyonewasdisappointedintheirwayofliving
life,However,didnothingtomakeadifference.
JustlikeErnestHemingwaysworkshowsthedissolutionoftheLostGenerationthe
WorkofDorothyParkerdoestoo.InParkerspoemAdreamLiesDead,shewrites,
Adream
liesdeadhere.Mayyousoftlygo/Beforethisplace,andturnawayyoureyes,/Norseektoknow
thelookofthatwhichdies/ImportuningLifeforlife.Walknotinwoe,/But,foralittle,letyour
stepbeslow(15).Inthispoemshespeaksabouteveryonedreamingandeveryonewishingfor
thosedreamstocometrue.However,notalldreamscometrue.Sheisgoingthroughsomething
similarinherlife.Shesaysthatadreamisdeadanditshouldgoslowly,yet,nobodyshould
knowwhatthedreamis.
InanotherofParkerspoemAFairlySadTale,shewrites,
Imust
goon,tillendsmyrope,/Whofrommybirthwascursedwithhope./Aheartinhalfischaste,
archaic/Butmineresemblesamosaic/Thething'sbecomeridiculous!/WhyamIso?WhyamI
thus(1922).
InthispoemDorothyParkerwroteaboutaheartbrokenwomenunabletofindtrue
loveinherlife.Shewritesaboutbeingunliketheothergirls,whocaneasilyattractaman.Inthis

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quoteshesaysthattheremightbeacurseonthelandthatisthereasonwhyshehasnevermet
love.Shewonderswhysheissodifferentfromtheothersandindicatinghowharditistofixinto
society.ThesequotesprovethatdisillusionhappenedduringtheLostGeneration.The
disappointmentofnotfindinglovewaspresentduringthistimeperiodaswellasthe
disappointmentofnotaccomplishingdreams.
ThelostwasatimeofdisillusionlikeitisseenininErnestHemingwayandDorothy
Parkerspopularwork.Justlikeduringthattime,thedisappointmentofnotfindinglovein
presentduringthetodaysmodernworld.Although,womenaremoreindependentsomestill
believethatwithouttheloveofamantheyarenothingcausingdisappointment.Dreamsarealso
crushedduringthistimeperiodjustliketheywerethen.Certaindreamsthatmeantheworldto
manypeoplearenotliedeadcausingextremedisillusion.