When former President George Bush declared a War on Terror, patriotic fervor followed. People were enlisting in the military in massive rates. Americans were uniting under the notion that they were defending their country. And while there was a plethora of human rights violations, from unlawful torture and imprisonment, to racism and prejudice against Arab Americans, many still pushed the ideal that they were going to fight for their country, for their homes. That is, until the damage was done, and al Queda was gone, leaving America, as well as the rest of the world, to wonder if it was really worth it. It harkens back to a similar era in human history, when people were lost, helpless, when soldiers were aimlessly wandering around, never realizing how devastating war could be until then. It was an era of depression and anxiety.

World War I, also known as the Great War, resulted in approximately nine million deaths. It was characterized by the obsessive use of trench warfare, where soldiers used trenches to shield themselves from enemy fire. But despite this, living conditions were more than disgusting. Disease and parasites were rife in the trenches, with the most famous of which being trench foot and trench fever. At least two million died due to those conditions before the war ended with the Treaty of Versailles. What’s more because chemical warfare wasn’t banned, or at least limited, many soldiers suffered horrifying injuries that left a lasting impression on both their comrades and the general populace.

Both authors and artists noted the darkness of the period, a period which is now called “The Lost Generation.” According to Gertrude Stein, this generation that grew up during the time of the war was disillusioned, having lost faith in core human values such as courage, family, and love. People turned to wealth and material possessions to shake off the nightmarish war. Writers published exaggerated biographies of themselves. Philosophers noted the iconic death of the American dream. All these factors were shown in works such as The Great Gasby by Scott Fitzgerald and Dulce et Decorum Est by Willfred Owen. Themes revolving around hedonism could be found in novels like The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.

Another prevalent theme involved changing gender roles. When men were inducted into the war, many women had to take on jobs that were originally for men. And so, when the wounded were returned home, many were shocked by just how they’d changed. One final theme that was rampant in these novels was the longing for the past, and how simple things were before.

The literary works The Lost Generation produced gave audiences a glimpse of how war could impact entire families, eras, and environments. Nationalistic tendencies were called into question, and it laid the foundation for a group of writers and artists to advocate for more peaceful methods in dealing with international problems. Today, The Lost Generation draws parallels between the past and the present, and encourages us to understand the changing environments today, so we can better our own futures.