Psychological Effect of the War

The Sun Also Rises
A lot of this novel is about the psychology of what happens to people affected by war, both the soldiers and the ones who remain at home. Jake has retained an injury from the war that renders him incapable of having sexual relations with a woman and it affects his confidence and self-image. Especially after Brett turns him down because of his incapability of satisfying her. This shows even more how the war has affected him because others in society are even telling him now that he is not good enough. Even for all he has done for them as a soldier in the army, the affect it has had on him transcends more than his own mind, it manifests in the people of society.
The affect of the war is even evident in Brett herself. Though she seems to be the mere cause of strife in Jake, she has her own issues to deal with. Her one true love was apparently killed in the war and ever since she has taken to trying to find the satisfaction she’s missing in numerous short relationships. And she has found that so far there is no satisfaction in it for her at all. We find that after this apparent war all were changed and left shallow, empty, and unsure of themselves. Everybody feels that they must prove themselves, whether it is to others in society or just to themselves but all are searching for something that they have not yet found and are so far bound by the limitations the war has left them with.