In post-war Paris, we meet Jake Barnes and his clan; a ragtag group of melodramatic drunks with expensive taste. Hemmingway's The Sun Also Rises is the embodiment of the time period, part Jazz Age, part Lost Generation. From the beginning of the book there is a strong sense of purposelessness. That's just what the characters in the book are, especially our dear Jake Barnes, a former patriot whose war wounds have left him helpless and raw. The wounds and wounds function in this piece by reinforcing the themes and motifs of dissatisfaction, identity and the defectiveness of communication. Throughout the book, Hemmingway makes it clear that despite his characters' excessive and seemingly carefree lifestyles, they are unhappy. Lady Brett Ashley says it in the first glimpse of intimacy we see between her and Jake. Jake says he feels "like hell" quite often. Even people like Robert Cohn and his fiancé Francis talk about being angry about living in Paris or about not getting married. Every character you meet is unhappy in one way or another. They are all injured. It is obviously inferred that Jake was injured both physically and mentally during the war and struggles with this every day, drinking copious amounts to stay sane. Brett is hurt by her past relationships and takes it out on every man she sees. Cohn seems to be the butt of every wise joke, which angers him enough to actually fight his countrymen. Hemmingway gives the reader a glimpse into each character's life, one short dialogue at a time, intriguing us and giving us a sense of the immense pain they feel. Apart from the theme of dissatisfaction, the main question of identity can be seen. clearly. After the war, Jake finds himself lost in... middle of paper... what goes on in the minds of these characters than it seems. In conclusion, Hemmingway's The Sun Also Rises is a novel about the disillusionment and loss of identity felt after the destruction of the First World War. This feeling of ambiguity extends far beyond the story's expatriate, affecting her love interest, the men she has on her puppet strings, and those they meet along their journey. Through the themes and motifs of dissatisfaction, identity and faulty communication, one can clearly see how the act of being hurt and hurting has a profound influence on the work. “Undressing, I looked at myself in the mirror of the large wardrobe next to the bed. It was a typically French way of decorating a room. Practical too, I suppose. Of all the ways to be hurt. (Hemmingway 38)Works CitedHemmingway, Ernest. The sun also rises. New York: Scribner, 2006. Print.