So far in the novel, most of the characters have demonstrated a sort of nonchalance and recklessness that I am taken aback by, but that is consistent with other depictions of the 20s I have seen. No surprise. But a few examples:
At the beginning of Chapter III, the narrator, Jake, is sitting alone outside a café. He spies a pretty girl, catches her eye, and they strike up a conversation. They flirt a bit, drink some liquor, and she asks, "Well, are you going to buy me a dinner?" Keep in mind that neither knows the other's name yet. But they do go to a restaurant, he learns that her name is Georgette, and then he promptly runs into his friends. But what really got me is that here he introduces Georgette as his fiancée, and she just goes along with it. Obviously it's not true, but I admit I went back and searched the chapter for a proposal. I would say it was a joke to everyone, but his friend Braddocks's wife seems to be under the impression that they are indeed engaged. Jake allows his "fiancée" to dance with several men, all while pining after the beautiful Brett, and then he leaves her there (14-23). The ensuing conversation between Jake and Brett:
"What possessed you to bring her?"
"I don't know, I just brought her."
"You're getting damned romantic.
"No, bored" (23).
Bored.
Similarly, Jake's friend Robert Cohn asks him out of the blue whether he will go to South America with him. No real reason, he just wants to go to South America.
So that gave me an idea. I can't understand how they can just act like that, completely impulsive but at the same time detached, but it's a hundred percent due to the historical context. It's the same reason Gatsby threw his huge parties but was so aloof. The Great War--World War I--fucked up an entire generation (forgive my language). I think of it mostly as psychological damage, though it is impossible to ignore the massive death toll, upwards of 8.5 million. World War II, of course, had more deaths, but the Great War introduced a new style of warfare, and so had a novelty factor that made it, if anything, more traumatizing. Many of the casualties were young men just like Jake or Hemingway himself.
Those who survived were deeply affected by it, as is inescapable in Hemingway's writing. The war created the reckless nihilism that Hemingway and his characters are famous for, as they struggled to cope with the reality of what they experienced. It's no wonder, then, that the longest relationship Hemingway could keep in his lifetime was with alcohol.
In my Euro class last quarter, we read an excerpt from an essay by Freud called "Thoughts for the Times on War and Death." He opines that "we cannot but feel that no event has ever destroyed so much that is precious in the common possessions of humanity, confused so many of the clearest intelligences, or so thoroughly debased what is highest." This is, then, what I think I want to do my project on: the psychological repercussions of World War I, as seen through Hemingway's writing.
I think that I will enjoy reading this paper and I have a book you might just want to page through called "A Broken World: the Rise of Modern Europe, 1919-1939) by Raymond Sontag. I believe there is a chapter about the "artist" at this time. I'm not sure it would be about psychological things, but it will provide some good historical context. I have it at school, so just ask me when I see you next!
ReplyDeleteI think that's a great idea! World War I is often overshadowed by WWII and the horrors of the Nazis, especially in American culture. I don’t know much about the field of psychology in the early 20th century aside from Freud, but I think it might be interesting to talk about shell hock. Shell shock was what the soldiers called the reaction people had to the constant bombardment of artillery and bombs over them in the trenches. I think in my psych class, my teacher mentioned that shell shock worked as an early form of post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s just a thought, but I thought it might be useful if you really do intend to write a paper about the psychological impact of WWI on Hemingway’s characters, many of whom, if I remember correctly, are always kind of sad and depressed. I also think that the nihilism argument is worth looking into, I’m curious how Hemingway portrayed nihilism in his novel. What I think you should look into before you start writing the paper however, is if there is significant research about the psychological effects of WWI on soldiers. I know that Freud was the expert on psychology in the turn of the century, however I also know that much of Freud’s work, while revolutionary at the time, is not so much today. Just make sure you have proper research before you start writing and realize that there isn’t, and then you’ve wasted time.
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