Haven’t We Been Defeated Yet?: A Historical and Literary Analysis of the 1920’s Traumatic Experiences Through A Farewell To Arms (1929) and The Sun Also Rises (1926)

Abstract

The decade of the 1920’s commenced as a promising one in Western societies. Due to the economic growth after the war and general rebellion against the previous order, it seemed that a new and better world was to be created. As it progressed, however, it degenerated, ending up in an economic crash that culminated in multiple dictatorships around the world and in a second world war. The reasons for this result may probably be traced back to a listless number of mistakes made by society as a whole, including not taking care of its traumatised citizens’ mental health necessities. Writers, however, depicted different social problems in their works so as to raise awareness and leave a trace of what was really happening in these romanticised Twenties. One of these authors was Ernest Hemingway, member of the so-called Lost Generation, whose literary production is characterised by violence, disinterest for life and resilient attitude. He not only wrote about it, but experienced the Trauma himself and the impossibility of facing it because of the taboos of his society. The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the widespread shell shock present in the 1920’s and its consequences, as well as its representation in novels by Hemingway: A Farewell to Arms (1929) and The Sun Also Rises (1926). Regardless of their publication dates, it is my intention to trace a historical timeline, being the former portrait of the origins of the Trauma and the latter a representation of its outcomes. In order to achieve this, socio-historical and literary perspectives will be employed. In the end, an analysis of the 20’s in America will also be referred to, so as to demonstrate that history moves in a spiral and that certain echoes from the past can be found in our present day society.