Wine: The Phenomenon Of Youth Culture

Earnest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises was published in 1926, and scholars have cast eyesight on a lot of themes from various angles and through various approaches. To interpret a literary work from the historical and cultural perspective has always been the main trend and focus of literary study. So this thesis intends to make a study of the novel from the perspective of the relationship between drinking wine and the youth culture.The drinking scene nearly appears on every page of the novel. The characters life is dominated by an obsession with liquor. These characters indulged in drinking are affected by the social climate as well as the war. The United States made great money in the war and became the second richest country following Britain. With economic prosperity, the nation turned to be consumption-oriented society. And leisure consumption became an important element of the consumer society. Drinking wine is part of the leisure consumption enjoyed by the young generation. Coming from the war, the young generation were undercut the traditional notions of morality, faith and justice. They spend their time in inconsequential and escapist activities such as drinking and dancing, which allows them not to think about their inner feelings. Especially under the background of the Prohibition, the characters'drunkenness should be interpreted as a metaphor of a rebellion against the Prohibition law, which is the symbol of the old values.Therefore, we can see the phenomenon of drinking in the 1920s'America has great significance on representing the youth culture. The contents of the 1920s'youth culture characterized the mixture of the enjoyment brought by the leisure consumption and the young generation's moral dilemma and lost. Drinking wine is entitled with special significance in the special era. The thesis makes a tentative study of the youth culture in the 1920s, which is through the characters drinking daily life. There are three chapters apart from the introduction and the conclusion. The introduction includes the creation of The Sun Also Rises, the purpose and significance of the research, and the literature review of the novel.Chapter one introduces the historical and personal background of the novel The Sun Also Rises, because the social background plays an important role in explaining the youth culture. The United States benefited a lot from the second industrial revolution and the First World War and developed rapidly in the 1920s. Economic developing brought the leisure consumption, and drinking wine is part of the consumption. Also, the young generation came from the war, with their old values shattered by the war and they were in a moral dilemma. They indulge themselves in the new lifestyle, such as drinking. What's more, this part also analyzes Hemingway's personal experiences'influence on The Sun Also Rises.Chapter two discusses the youth culture represented by the phenomenon of drinking wine. The different moral responsibilities and values of the characters are reflected in their everyday drinking behavior. This chapter analyzes the main characters'values through their daily drinking, which are the typical phenomenon of he youth culture in the 1920s. Jake Barnes is the typical of the post war generation, emasculated by the war both mentally and physically. He is one of the representatives of those who have suffered in the war in all kinds of ways. Robert Cohn is completely different from Jake and he has not suffered the war. Brett Ashley, she is a character set to reflect the New Woman. The three main characters represent different kinds of the young generation, which provided a window for us to see the youth culture in the 1920s.Chapter three discusses the significance of drinking in the 1920s. Living in the period of great changes, the post war generation inevitably suffered a lot. They seek comfort and refuge in the liquor, and liquor was entitled with special significance in the special era.The characters'drinking behavior is crucial to understanding the youth culture in the 1920s. The study of drinking wine reflects the dominant cultural ideals and values of the postwar generation. The Sun Also Rises is a typical story of the youth culture in which the characters'values are clearly reflected in their daily drinking life. This is the conclusion this thesis has reached in the part of conclusion.