I just finished reading Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises.” It’s obviously a classic for a reason, but it’s one of the few books that I think are just as relevant and relatable as now as when they were written. “The Sun Also Rises” focuses on post World War I Americans wandering aimlessly around Europe, spending their free time drinking and trying to forget the war. This specific generation was dubbed the “Lost Generation.” The term was popularized by Gertrude Stein to label the group of young people who grew into adults during World War I and lost their faith in traditional values and patriotism. Although Hemingway’s novel was published a century ago, there is still a Lost Generation today- Gen Z.
Hemingway’s Lost Generation was deeply affected by World War I. The technological advancements used in the war were revolutionary. Machine guns, chemical weapons, tanks, U-boats, and advanced artillery created devastating effects, not to mention the abrupt switch from organized fighting to trench warfare. The men who fought in the war and the young adults growing up in America were scared by this unprecedented way of fighting. After the war many young adults left America for Europe. They wanted to escape the America that promised them quick, easy victory and glory. They blew through money and liquor to forget about their unhappiness and loss of faith.
While Gen Z didn’t live through a traumatic war, we did and still are living through a similarly revolutionary event- rapid technological advancements and the rise of social media. Social media has changed how society interacts. Even though there are benefits of social media, anything that causes that big a shift in the way communities function comes with some disastrous impacts. Mark Zuckerberg is currently in a monumental trial about the effects of social media on children. We are the current “Lost Generation,” except our vice is doom scrolling instead of social media. We’re just as broke and with the current cost of living that won’t change anytime soon. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve heard older people say my generation is lazy, disrespectful, arrogant, and unfaithful (all the opposite of traditional American values). Many of us also struggle to feel patriotic when we have access to so much information about the state of our world and our nation. Drop us into 1926 Europe with Hemingway and we’d fit right in.
Even the way Hemingway writes reminds me of how Gen Z consumes media. “The Sun Also Rises” is written as a stream of consciousness. Short, choppy sentences that jump from one topic to the next litter the page. TikTok has shortened the attention span of many kids and young adults. The brief sentences in rapid succession imitate watching multiple 30 second TikToks or tapping through Instagram stories.
I personally wasn’t a fan of “The Sun Also Rises” but maybe that’s because it was a reminder of my daily life. I, like many others, use reading as an escape from reality. When the same uncertainty you try to get a break from is thrown back into your face it’s jarring, but it’s important to have books like that to force you to analyze your own life. Despite the fact that I didn’t enjoy the book, I was glad I read it and got the chance to see a version of my own generation from an outside perspective.
