Um, I am Lost. Can You Help Me?

Part III

Um, I am Lost. Can You Help Me?

American Literature and How They Got Lost

By Hiren Ajudia

What does it feel like to be lost? Remember as a child how searching up and down every aisle for your parents at the store would give you the jitters? How about going in circles on the road? Is the considered lost as well? During math class, how lost do you get when learning some new concept? Luckily for us, there was always a solution to get on the right track—Lost at the store? Go to the service desk; Lost on the road? Pull over and ask a stranger for directions; Lost in class? Talk to your teacher and get extra help. Our lives never presented us with more severe and extreme situations then this when we were unable to be found. Not all times have been as simple as today. War World I, for instance was a time that Americans were faced with fear, desolation, separation. As the world transitioned into the Modern period during 1914-1945, not everyone was able to make this movement smoothly. For some, the war had shattered their beliefs and made them question everything going on around them. Many individuals had become truly lost, and were not able to find themselves and the reason for their existence in the highly materialistic lifestyle unfolding around them.  For them, the war was no small deal—lives were lost and many people felt they were responsible. Where were they to turn for help? One of the places where people could find comfort and solace was in their writing. The lost generation was the time period where writers active following the World War emerged. This thought that people were missing was voiced by a man names Gertrude Stein when he used the phrase “You are all a lost generation.”  The time period was marked by the feeling that writers shared of disaster resulted in feelings of lost values, lost belief in the human progress, and sought the meaning of life. In order to numb their feelings of betrayal and disaster, people often found themselves caught up with activities like extra marital affairs and excessive drinking to cope with their stress.  Some of the major artists which came from this time period include F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, Ezra Pound, Waldo Peirce, and Sherwood Anderson.  The themes highlighted in the works of these authors including The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway and Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis are all about youthful idealism and the main characters sought the meaning of life.

Gatsby maybe a tale of a rich man, but Ms. Juarez's Ap Students know the truth behind the glitz and glamor. Not everything that sparkles is gold, and not all gold sparkles. The pain that Gatsby experiences is masked by his wealth, but it still persists in his heart.

            The Great Gatsby, which is an iconic work of literature, shows a world of glitz and glamor, but it also shows that behind that all is pain and unanswered questions. Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the story helps portray the spirit of the “Jazz Age” which he himself described as “The greatest, gaudiest spree in history.” Today, we think of the Jazz age as an attractive and charming lifestyle full with legendary partiers and artistic ambitions, but in reality it was also drinking, romance, tragedy and recklessness. In the book, readers find themselves reading about the crash of the American dream, and the circulating greed and corruption. The America dream inspired people from all over the world to come and witness the miracles of the American economy.  People came to prosper, but along the way, they found themselves picking up other habits as well. Protagonist Gatsby is a member of the war, and upon coming back, he decides that he would reach the top of the status ladder no matter what it takes in order to impress his lady friend, Daisy. “Americans, while occasionally willing to be serfs, have always been obstinate about being peasantry” and to reach to the top, Gatsby finds himself affiliated with dangerous men and illegal activities. In the dog eat dog world, it is seen that no one is spared of greed and selfishness.  However, both Gatsby’s dream and the American dream is shattered when Daisy choose greed and pride over Gatsby.  The easy society and fall of moral values corrupted the dream which started off very correctly. This was representative of America’s desire to prosper which cost the world its unique environment and resources.

           

Given into intoxicating drinks, Jake and his friends give up their environment and are scared by the dangers of the war. They question each step of life to see how they can cope with their stress.

            In his book, The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway portrays the lifestyle of a post-war disillusionment lifestyle in addition to excessive drinking and false relationships.  As seen in the passage, the book’s characters have lost connection to what is the truth around them. “You're an expatriate. You've lost touch with the soil. You get precious. Fake European standards have ruined you. You drink yourself to death. You become obsessed by sex. You spend all your time talking, not working. You are an expatriate, see? You hang around cafes. (Hemingway 120).” Coming directly from the war, Jake and his friends experience the loss of faith, and distrust in life and society. Unlike before, the group finds nothing worthwhile to do because the war altered their beliefs and resort to activities like drinking, dancing, and other forms of time wasting. In order to wipe out their memories of the war, the men find themselves prone to drinking but that is still not able to distract them from the damage cause by the war. In terms of false friendships, the story shows the journey of Jake and how he tried to connect with different people but is not able to do so, and does not even show the slightest hint of regret when he is unable to fulfill his responsibilities as a friend. Throughout the entire story, the characters are fighting against their relationships with each other and their definition of love because the war had a profound impact on their sense of logic and understanding of the world.

            Although the time has passed, these and many other sources in literature help connect the people of today with the themes and lifestyles of the people in the past.