Lost Generation vs Beat Generation

Wagner-Martin, Linda, Reynolds, David S., and Myerson, Joel, eds. A Historical Guide to Ernest Hemingway. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2000. Print.

Cormack McCarthy’s novel, The Road, is set in a post apocalyptic world, where humanity is struggling to survive. Through his simplistic writing style and powerful symbolism, McCarthy tells a story about the human condition as well as what it truly means to be human. Though it is set in a wasteland this novel still manages to project hope through the love of a boy and his father. The following passages are quotes that spoke to me stylistically or symbolically while I was reading.

Although Baldwin's "Sonny's blues" share severals themes with Kerouac's "On The Road," such as the fight for civil rights, drugs and music as evasion from the inadequacy of a meaningless life, the authors approach reflects the different social environments to which they

The Road, written by Cormac McCarthy, is a masterpiece that captures the journey of a young boy and his father trucking across America. Through the hardships that they fall upon, the young boy and father make their way to the place they had been yearning for, the ‘South’. The relationship between the father and son is their ultimate quest to find purpose and meaning to their lives through the trust that they share. Each rely on one another is different ways, which further shows how their relationship fluctuates throughout the book. Through their encounters, pleading for help for other, and coming to realization of the truth, The Road captures the relationship of the boy and his father throughout their journey.

Through their lives and distinct writing styles, these authors of similar times and caliber, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway have created vastly different works of literature that are still praised as American classics. These differences, as significantly prevalent in their style, allow readers to understand their lives and experiences through the stories. The dialogue, as the primary vector of this contrast, conveys the materials and information needed to understand the authors as individuals and in turn, their literature. Therefore, through the dialogue presented in Hemingway’s and Fitzgerald’s writing, important characteristics are easily discerned that provide insight into the characters’ interactions as well as the effect it has

The words and works of an author are like a fingerprint. They are unique, distinct and enable you to identify the owner. Some writers choose to remodel techniques, while others choose to create their own. This is the case with Ernest Hemingway. I chose this author because he not only respects his audience but, trusts them to discover the true meanings of his works. Between each line and word is an emotion and purpose that transcends the dialogue. The former reporters roots have caused him to create his own style of writing now coined as “The Iceberg Theory”. This direct, minimalistic style leaves and enduring impression on the reader and has made his writing instantly recognizable. In Hemingway’s works, the dialogue brilliantly executed technique subtly exposes the reader to his theme that revel dark parts of the human psyche when it comes to war, love and humanity.

Ernest Hemingway, a literary icon of the early twentieth century, challenged the typical lengthy and detailed prose of authors before him by pioneering a stylistic revolution centered around heavy dialogue and minimalistic details. More specifically, “Hemingway used a journalistic style and unadorned prose to capture the everyday lives of men and women caught up in history’s most momentous events,” without wasting pages establishing the setting or background within a work like most authors of the nineteenth century (The Letters… 442). Often, the mood, setting, and emotion within Hemingway’s stories are established through symbolism and constant dialogue. Hemingway expertly implements his unconventional and unique authorial style to convey the disparity in gender communication and perspectives and its effects on relationships in his 1927 short story, Hills Like White Elephants.

Ernest Hemingway started his career as a writer in a newspaper office in Kansas City at the age of seventeen. Here he learned to get to the heart of a story with direct, simple sentences. After the United States entered the First World War, he joined a volunteer ambulance unit in the Italian army. Here he was wounded near the Italian/Austrian front. Hospitalized, he fell in love with his nurse, who later called off their relationship. After his return to the United States, he became a reporter for Canadian and American newspapers and was soon sent back to Europe to cover such events as the Greek Revolution. During the twenties, Hemingway became a member of the group of expatriate Americans in Paris, which he described in his first important work ‘The Sun Also Rises’ (1926).

     In Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road, the narrator, Sal Paradise offers up to us what seems to be a very optimistic view on life. He is forever singing the praises of how wonderful his adventures will be and his high expectations for the future. To Sal, the novel is defined by youthful exuberance and unabashed optimism for the new experiences that he sets out to find. A deeper look into the novel, as well as a look at some of the critics who have written on it, reveals a much darker side, a more pessimistic and sad aspect that Sal simply fails to realize until the very close of the action. Whether Sal is hopped up on the optimism of jazz music, secure in his belief that he is off to find ‘IT,’ or just excited

The period between World War I and World War II was a very turbulent time in America. Ernest Hemingway most represented this period with his unrestrained lifestyle. This lifestyle brought him many successes, but it eventually destroyed him in the end. His stories are read in classrooms across America, but his semi-autobiographical writings are horrible role models for the students who read them. Hemingway’s lifestyle greatly influenced his writings in many ways.

In 1957, Jack Kerouac published his second and most acclaimed novel called , On The Road. This book explained Kerouac’s wild three years of restless journeys back and forth across the country. In the novel, Kerouac describes his adventures through the eyes of a book smart author named Sal Paradise. The novel begins in the year 1947 and takes place at all the different destinations Sal had made on his way across America. The genre of this thrilling and exciting novel is beat generation.

Hemingway uses a variety of literary elements to portray his message. The setting of the story is the summer of 1919 in a small Oklahoma town. World War 1 just ended two years prior and the main character, Harold Krebs, explains his post-war experiences (Meyer 129). Krebs is the protagonist who is “suffering from an inability to readjust to society” (Imamura para. 3). He is a dynamic, round character. At first he “did not want to talk about the war

Many authors, critics, and everyday social readers define Ernest Hemingway as the prime example of 20th century American literature. Hemingway’s works transcend time itself, so that even readers today analyze and criticize his works. His works, of course, have drawn praises and animosity from all corners of the globe. Critics often applause Hemingway on his short simple prose, for which many people recognize him for. His writing builds upon the masterful usage of “short, simple words and short, simple sentences” (Wagner, 3) to create clear and easy to

Jack Kerouac is considered a legend in history as one of America's best and foremost Beat Generation authors. The term "Beat" or "Beatnic" refers to the spontaneous and wandering way of life for some people during the period of postwar America, that seemed to be induced by jazz and drug-induced visions. "On the Road" was one such experience of Beatnic lifestyle through the eyes and heart of Jack Kerouac. It was a time when America was rebuilding after WW I. Describing the complexity and prosperity of the postwar society was not Karouac's original intent. However, this book described it a way everyone could visualize. It contained examples and experiences of common people looking for new and exciting

Hemingway's writing technique is an interesting way of writing. His “Iceberg Theory” is influential to writers today. His theory is composed up of 10% conscious mind and 90% of only subconscious mind. He was an authentic writer. His writing is relatable and believable because of the silences he would use and short sentences. Hemingway’s writing was is close to everyday encounters and situations. He is widely known for his writing and stories. He gave a new flavor to writing and touched people's hearts in a personal way. Because of his special writing, his structured way of writing will live out for generations to come.