The Lost Generation By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Ernest Hemingway, one of the most notable writers of the Lost Generation, encountered heinous acts of war which were seared into his mind, this assertion is evident with every page

In Babylon Revisited by F Scott Fitzgerald time is used to reinforce his theme of one’s past being inescapable. Through time it is seen where the main character Charlie’s past comes to haunt him in his present. References are made in time flying by and being lost due to the past indiscretions.

In conclusion, Fitzgerald uses this tragic story to express his feeling about the American Dream of the American people during the 1920's. The characters in the novel are being used to reflect the gradual demoralization of the people in the society. Every person living in this

The “Lost Generation” is essentially a term that is used to describe the young adults of the 1920’s who were changing with the times and rebelling against what America had become after the war. They populated areas like Paris and London where they expected to find literary freedom and a cosmopolitan way of life. The “Lost Generation" of American writers and poets left America, seeking refuge from the broken culture and devastation that had come from the war, and ended up in Paris, a city that had a thriving art culture where they could write freely and lavish in the Bohemian lifestyle without rules. They drank, traveled, had love affairs, and wrote. They were influenced by the paintings of artists like Dada and Picasso and collected their works, as well as socialized with them. They critiqued each other’s writing and often met in bookstores, cafés, and bars to talk about their works and life in general. They had mostly upper-middle-class upbringings and were sustained in hard times by their parents' fortunes. They chose to come to Paris to seek artistic fulfillment and ended up writing what is possibly considered some of the best fiction of the 20th century. It was the time when writers, painters, musicians, and composers went to Paris to work and

The Roaring Twenties were a time of leisure and parties. The media and events surrounding this time period greatly impacted the carefree, extravagant lifestyle. This era was one of the most dramatic and energetic times in American history. To many, the symbols of the roaring Twenties were F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, due to their tales of the young and the wealthy (Hanson 96). The Roaring Twenties influenced many literary works, throughout the 1920s such as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise.

The journey between adolescence and adulthood is one of great discovery and introspection. As the blissful innocence of childhood is washed away by the passing of time, a long and confusing period of discovering one’s identity takes center stage. Prior to the process, the adult world seems one of great freedom and opportunity and is treated with a sense of keen enthusiasm. But, only as we become members of this cruel and unjust adult society, does the veneer of privilege corrode away, and the simplicity and innocence of childhood truly appreciated. As such is explored in The Catcher in the Rye, where a young teenager in New York City is faced with the daunting task of transitioning and maturing to an eventual adulthood, one that terrifies him. Holden responds to adulthood with resistance, fear andidealism, before slowly but surely succumbing to its certainty.

contains themes and morals that continue to be relevant to modern society. As a result,

During the roaring twenties, the United States was a blemished nation. Crime and corruption were at an all-time high, the bootlegging business was booming, and throughout all this, people were euphoric. This time period during the nineteenth and twentieth century was captured by numerous artists, writers, musicians, and entertainers in their attempts to break from traditional values in what is known as modernism. A modernist is in simple terms a rebel. One who dislikes normal conventions and hopes to rewrite and renew societal morals. These artists were rebels with a cause and fought to expose themselves to society. Fitzgerald is an iconic figure in modernism because he skews the perception of reality, rejects the stereotypical traditions, and exposes people’s struggles as the American Dream fades away and proves a nightmare.

     F. Scott Fitzgerald is seen as one of the greatest American writers, admired by his contemparies and by modern audiences of today. Fitzgerald was very much in tune with the early twentieth century American culture. He is credited with capturing the ‘Jazz Age’, which he described as “a generation grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken”. Fitzgerald observed the culture around him with a critical eye. Despite being able to depict America like few others could, many see Fitzgerald’s writing as an indictment on its values.

The 1920s were times of loss for the United States. After seeing countless deaths of soldiers in a war many didn’t believe in, the years after World War I were times when people lost hope in classic principles such as bravery and courage. The “Lost Generation” were people who saw the horrors of the war throughout their life. Ernest Hemingway shows major themes of the “Lost Generation” through his stories after the war; he shows the pursuit of decadence in “Hills of White Elephants,” impotence through “Soldier’s Home,” and idealism through both stories (O’Connor).

John Cheever and F. Scott Fitzgerald are both 20th century writers whose story’s thematically reflected the despair and the emptiness of life. In both story’s “The Swimmer” and “Babylon Revisited” the main characters undergo similar problems, although they are presented differently in each story. The subject matter of both stories, pertain to the ultimate downfall of a man. “The Swimmer”, conveys the story of a man who swims his way into reality. He at first is very ignorant to his situation; however with the passing of time he becomes cognizant to the idea that he has lost everything. In “Babylon Revisited” the key character is a “recovering alcoholic”, who return to his homeland in hope to get his daughter back. However, problems from

At the beginning of the book, Hazel’s mom suspects that she is depressed and sends her to a Cancer Support Group. With Hazel’s lung cancer, she does not do much except watch TV and read books. After many weeks of complaining and enduring the mundane group, she finally meets Augustus Waters. Not until after the session does Gus approach Hazel. They chat for a while and at a certain point, Augustus takes out a cigarette and puts it between his lips. Obviously, Hazel is offended and disappointed, she has horrible lungs and it disgusts her that Gus would damage his. However, he never lights them: “It's a metaphor… You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do its killing.”(Green, 20) Shortly after, Hazel

The main theme in the short story “Babylon Revisited” is that you can’t repeat the past. Charlie has a lot of hope for the future, but his guilt from the past catches up with him. He tries to forget about the Paris he used to know, but memories from the past haunts him throughout the story. His past is inescapable and he has to pay great debts when the party comes to an end. “Babylon Revisited”, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald was published in 1931. The story is greatly affected by the time period it was written in, and by what was going on in Fitzgerald’s life.

“You are all a lost generation…” Ernest Hemingway writes in his book The Sun Also Rises. The lost generation often refers to a group of writers during the 1920’s; it consisted of many writers such as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald and Hemingway were two of many great literary writers who attempted to change the world in a post World War 1 era. Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby both impacted the 1920’s world with their common themes and beliefs portrayed through their literary works. A similar theme between the two works was the impact the war had on the people of the world.

The high-minded ideas of their elders were not to be trusted; the only reality was truth and that was harsh. Life was futile and often meaningless. According to "President Harding's 'back to normalcy' policy, subject seemed to its members(the lost generation) to be hopelessly provincial, materialistic, and emotionally barren"(“Lost Generation” 487). This demonstrates why this generation was in search of its own values. "The moral hypocrisy of Prohibition that so irritated Hemingway's generation produced exactly the reaction that Hemingway documents in his novel"(Reynolds 62).