Literary Analysis Essay #1

"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places
(Hemingway). The Lost Generation was a time where souls believed everything was hopeless.
It was a generation created by war. The people of the Lost Generation lost optimism, were
unhappy and did not have clear paths in life. In many senses, the Lost Generation was an era
ruled and run by war. World War I was a significant event in this era. It was called "the Great
War" that ended all wars. It gave birth to irony in the literature. New methods of writing style
emerged, such as the unique writings by Ernest Hemingway. Ernest Hemingway was a notable
and famous author during this time. Hemingway had a unique writing style, which did not have
"frills, and influenced all authors. Hemingway did not believe in description; he believed in using
his words to uncover the his meaning behind a text. He wrote in such a way that the readers
spent time and thought to discover the purpose behind his literature.

In A Very Short Story by Ernest Hemingway, traits of the Lost Generation can be found.
One quote is found that may outline a trait of the Lost Generation: She was sorry, and she
knew she would probably not be able to understand, but might someday forgive her, and to be
grateful to her, and she expected, absolutely unexpectedly, to be married in the spring. She
loved him as always, but she realize now it was only a boy and girl love (Hemingway 1). "A
Very Short Story" is a text about a boy and a girl meeting who were lustful, despite the belief
that they were in love, of one another. Without telling the other, the couple cheated on one
another. The Lost Generation is heartbroken and begins in happiness and ends in betrayal. This
couple was desperate for love and wanted to feel it again. The young adults believed that they
would end up with each other, however they ended up going separate ways.

A second text by Ernest Hemingway is titled "the End of Something. This text is about
two young lovers which quickly understand that they are not for each other. The main idea of the
text is that the young couple, Nick and Marjorie, reveal their loss of romantic feelings towards
one another. They sit by the fire and hold a conversation about the loss of fun between them.
On a page 3 to 4, Hemingway writes as Nick: "It isn't fun anymore. Hemingway narrates on
page 4: Then he looked at her. She sat there with her back toward him. He looked at her back.
Then Nick says, "It isn't fun anymore. Not any of it. I feel as though everything has gone to hell
inside of me. I don't know Marge. I don't know what to say (Hemingway 4). "Isn't love any fun?
Marjorie said. "No," Nick said (Hemingway 4). This section of the text reveals a key trait of the
lost generation. The End of Something text implies that the Lost Generation contains a large
loss of feeling, and it is displayed by a sudden or immediate reaction. The people of the Lost
Generation are not sure of the reasons of their sadness. Those who express gloom or confusion
during this era do not know exactly the purpose behind their feelings.

A third text characteristic of the Lost Generation is another piece by Ernest Hemingway,
Hills Like White Elephants. In this piece of literature, a man and woman in a relationship have
a conflict between themselves. They are at a bar, and they are having a serious conversation.
The man desires for his partner to have an abortion with their child. The woman has an
opposing view, for she does not want to lose their baby. The man says, "That's the only thing
that bothers us. It's the only thing that's make us unhappy" (Hemingway 2). The woman who
responds, "and you think then we'll be all right and be happy" (Hemingway 2). The couple
continue to discuss in a serious manner. At the end of the text, the couple confusingly breaks
apart. The woman does not want to keep discussing and says, Would you please please please
please please please stop talking?" (Hemingway 3). The man ends up leaving the woman to
catch his train. The Lost Generation was a time in which crucial decisions were made, and
these decisions affected the relationships of those who needed to consider major situations.

The Lost Generation was the time period of the loss of hope, and this affected those who
lived in it by impacting their thoughts and behavior. However, the Lost generation is still
characterized by its upcoming optimism and hopefulness. This generation still strived for
achievement despite the negativity of the events circulating. James Truslow Adams said in "Epic
of America, The American dream is that dream of outlet in which life should be better and richer
and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. Despite
the loss of optimism, the Lost Generation would be lost no longer in the upcoming years. The
era was marked by the belief that there was no chance of future joy, but the opportunities that
came with living in the free land of America. Much like in todays era, there is many conflicts
occurring at the very moment. However, those who live in our land know that striving for the
American Dream is worth it. The people of every generation must believe that there is
something better coming their way.