The Impact of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Ernest Hemingway’s the Sun Also Rises (1926)

The Impact of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises (1926)

“All of you young people who served in the war. You are a lost generation...You have no respect for anything. You drink yourselves to death.” ― Gertrude Stein

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the definition of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is “a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event”. Although this is what is known today about PTSD, it was not officially classified as a mental disorder by the American Psychological Association (APA) until 1980. Yet PTSD was a side effect of combat trauma long before. Though there was a vague term, “shell shock,” expected to explain all the psychological effects of war, it was not a diagnosis; it was a nickname. In Ernest Hemingway’s novel, The Sun Also Rises, the characters are part of a “lost generation” in the early twentieth century, proving that the after-effect of war can make people try to escape the reality of things, which in turn leads to misbehavior.

During World War I, the psychological distress of soldiers was a result of concussions caused by the impact of shells; this effect was believed to disturb the brain and cause “shell shock.” According to the American Psychological Association, symptoms of “shell shock” included “fatigue, tremor, confusion, nightmares and impaired sight and hearing”. Additionally, it often served as the go-to diagnosis when a soldier was unable to function, and no obvious cause could be identified. Until 1980, when the APA added PTSD to the third edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III). During many years of research, the DSM-III criteria was revised several times. As a result, scientists and doctors now know a great deal about PTSD. For example, one is “most likely to develop symptoms of PTSD in the hours or days following a traumatic event, [but] it can sometimes take weeks, months, or even years before they appear. There are four main types of symptoms: intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, or changes in emotional reactions”. The significant change introduced by the concept of PTSD was that the cause of misbehavior was linked to a traumatic event, rather than an inherent individual weakness. Therefore, the key to understanding the causes and effects of PTSD was the concept of trauma.

In the novel, The Sun Also Rises, lots of characters are part of what is known as “The Lost Generation”. This term, coined by renowned American writer Gertrude Stein, means that the generation of men who took part in World War I is forever deprived of moral, emotional, spiritual and physical values. In the years following the war - the time when the book is set - many Americans were captivated by Paris. Writers, in particular, found greater artistic freedom there and a large circle of like-minded people who incidentally carried the same wounds from the war. This generation emerged from the war, spending most of the 1920’s taking advantage of every available opportunity to eat and drink its fill in order to compensate for the losses they had suffered. With no ideals to rely on, the “Lost Generation” lived an aimless, immoral existence, lacking true emotions.

Mike Campbell, Lady Brett Ashley’s fiancé, is a constantly drunk, short-tempered, Scottish war veteran. He has become bankrupt through his business associations with “false friends”. Furthermore, his insecurity regarding Brett’s sexual promiscuity provokes outbreaks of self-pity and anger that cause him to attack others. Additionally, Mike is obscene and his behavior is usually nothing short of inappropriate, especially when he is drunk: ‘"I’m rather drunk," Mike said. "I think I’ll stay rather drunk. This is all awfully amusing, but it’s not too pleasant for me. It’s not too pleasant for me (205)”’. Eventually, Mike admitted that he is perfectly aware of his alcohol abuse and of its psychological reasons, yet he consciously chooses not to change anything. However, unlike Bill and Jake, Mike never truly moved past the war. Occasionally, he describes his adventures as a ridiculously unskilled soldier. Additionally, Mike says: “What times we had. How I wish those dear days were back (139)”. His questionable, sarcastic wish is quite telling. Maybe he wishes war had never ended, because it gave him a sense of purpose that he is lacking at the time of the novel. Mike is due to obtain a large inheritance one day. He has no focus in life nor any apparent employment and lives