In the words of Albert Einstein, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” Einstein recognized the importance of relentless inquisition, arguably at the center of the modernist movement. His discoveries upended previously irrevocable facts. The great physicist proved that even a concept as basic as time can be relative and, therefore, untrustworthy. The same paradigm shift that prompted Einstein to discover the most famous formula of all time also inspired like minded authors to chronicle the world’s shift to a new way to see self and life. F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, two prominent modernist writers, explore similar examination in their respective literary masterpieces, The Great
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Jake, the protagonist in The Sun Also Rises, lives a ridiculous lifestyle in Europe. He talks about his worldview, narrating, “Enjoying living was learning to get your money’s worth and knowing when you had it. You could get your money’s worth. The world was a good place to buy in… In five years, I thought, it will seem just as silly as all the other philosophies I’ve had” (152). Jake uses a cynical tone to dismiss so called universal truths. He indirectly implies that people must find their own meaning in life, mutually exclusive from others, as everyone has a different way to obtain satisfaction. The War tears apart the common bonds of humanity that allow people to relate to each other, leading to a more individualistic approach to enjoying life. Hemingway further elucidates on the infiltration of existentialism into society at the end of Jake’s proclamation; the latter says that his outlook on the world will seem silly even to him in just a few years. Jake recognizes that nothing, not even his worldview and personal philosophy, has the capacity to remain stable. One of the main principles of existentialist philosophy, the ability to make decisions freely, can be seen in Jake’s passive approach to life. He feels no pressure or …show more content…
In The Great Gatsby, Nick’s psyche struggles with the endless questions that arise from modernism. After the death of Gatsby, Nick decides to move back West to where his family resides. He elaborates, “That’s my Middle West––not the wheat or the prairies or the lost Swede towns, but the thrilling returning of trains of my youth... I am part of that… a little complacent from growing up in the Carraway house in a city where dwellings are still called through decades by a family’s name” (177). Nick’s decision to move back West annihilates the binary between the two American hemispheres. For most of the book, he paints a picture of the East as a representation of traditional values and beliefs. However, at the novel’s conclusion he mixes the two by moving back to the tradition of his hometown, a decision made more on gut feeling than anything else. The destruction of the binary exemplifies how humans attach contrived meaning to objects, places, and concepts. Nick tells the reader that humans hold the power to interpret their world as they see fit, a very existentialist notion that holds true in the realm of human decision making, psychology. While the West typically symbolizes the cutting edge of society, Nick’s reminiscent narration puts the dualist view of East and West into perspective, unveiling the divide as artificial. The modernist spirit of inquiry leads to a
Jake, the protagonist in The Sun Also Rises, lives a ridiculous lifestyle in Europe. He talks about his worldview, narrating, “Enjoying living was learning to get your money’s worth and knowing when you had it. You could get your money’s worth. The world was a good place to buy in… In five years, I thought, it will seem just as silly as all the other philosophies I’ve had” (152). Jake uses a cynical tone to dismiss so called universal truths. He indirectly implies that people must find their own meaning in life, mutually exclusive from others, as everyone has a different way to obtain satisfaction. The War tears apart the common bonds of humanity that allow people to relate to each other, leading to a more individualistic approach to enjoying life. Hemingway further elucidates on the infiltration of existentialism into society at the end of Jake’s proclamation; the latter says that his outlook on the world will seem silly even to him in just a few years. Jake recognizes that nothing, not even his worldview and personal philosophy, has the capacity to remain stable. One of the main principles of existentialist philosophy, the ability to make decisions freely, can be seen in Jake’s passive approach to life. He feels no pressure or …show more content…
In The Great Gatsby, Nick’s psyche struggles with the endless questions that arise from modernism. After the death of Gatsby, Nick decides to move back West to where his family resides. He elaborates, “That’s my Middle West––not the wheat or the prairies or the lost Swede towns, but the thrilling returning of trains of my youth... I am part of that… a little complacent from growing up in the Carraway house in a city where dwellings are still called through decades by a family’s name” (177). Nick’s decision to move back West annihilates the binary between the two American hemispheres. For most of the book, he paints a picture of the East as a representation of traditional values and beliefs. However, at the novel’s conclusion he mixes the two by moving back to the tradition of his hometown, a decision made more on gut feeling than anything else. The destruction of the binary exemplifies how humans attach contrived meaning to objects, places, and concepts. Nick tells the reader that humans hold the power to interpret their world as they see fit, a very existentialist notion that holds true in the realm of human decision making, psychology. While the West typically symbolizes the cutting edge of society, Nick’s reminiscent narration puts the dualist view of East and West into perspective, unveiling the divide as artificial. The modernist spirit of inquiry leads to a