Does a soldier have injuries that a doctor cannot see? Sometimes the most damaging effects of war are the emotional wounds. Hemingway expounds the theme that war causes emotional damage in his novel The Sun Also Rises. Some veterans suffer emotional pain from war, while others are able to grow through the experience. Hemingway's characters illustrate the effects of combat because World War I had a negative impact on them; veterans lead meaningless lives, filled with masculine uncertainty. Jake and his friends (all veterans) wander aimlessly throughout the novel. Their only goal seems to be to find an exciting restaurant or club where they will spend their time. Every night they drink and dance, which distracts them from their very empty lives. Alcohol helps the characters escape their memories of war, but ultimately it only causes more turmoil and even sparks anger in the characters. Their years in war not only made their lives unfulfilling, but also caused men to worry about their masculinity, especially the narrator Jake, who "gave more than his life" to the war (Hemingway). Jake feels that the war has taken away his manhood because he is unable to sleep with Brett due to an injury. Although he wants to have a relationship with Brett and spends most of his time trying to pursue her, she rejects him because he cannot have a physical relationship with her. At several points in the novel, Brett and Jake imagine what their life together might have been like if he had not been injured in the war. Thus, his physical injury causes him emotional distress because he cannot maintain a relationship with the woman he has always wanted. The traditional American perception of... middle of paper ...... positive combat experience if they have a positive attitude. Although Hemingway accurately illustrates the negative impact of war on soldiers emotionally, he fails to address the positive learning experiences a soldier can have. forgetting the terrible, invisible combat injuries once known as shell shock, later combat fatigue, and now PTSD - post-traumatic stress disorder. American Heritage May-June 1990: 74+. Gale United States History in Context. Internet. February 1, 2011Zoroya, Gregg. “Positive Effects of Combat Examined.” The United States Today. Oct. 18-Nov. 2009. 3. February 01, 2011. .Hemingway, Ernest. The sun is also rising. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.