The Biblical book of Ecclesiastes proclaims that while generations may pass away, the Earth abides forever. That the sun also rises just as it sets. It explains the circular movement of nature and the unlimited endurance of the earth even though human generations' last only a short time. It is a message that ironically couples awe in the earth with the realization that human existence plays only a miniscule part in the workings of the universe.

Hemingway begins with this allusion to Ecclesiastes in his own novel, The Sun Also Rises. In it Hemingway paints a story about a group of expatriated intellectuals living in Paris. They are part of the "lost" generation. Hemingway gives insight into the moral, sexual, religious, intellectual and political ideas of the Existential philosophy using his narrator, Jake Barnes to relate the events of his and his friends' lives.

The group is made...