"Don't you know you're not wanted? I know when I'm not wanted. Why don't you know when you're not wanted?" Mike Campbell say to Robert Cohn In Hemingway's book "The Sun Also Rises." They are in a argument, sitting at the table at Montoya's hotel. While Mike is insulting Robert in front of the whole group, Bill decides to take Robert out to calm him down. After Robert leaves Mike continues to insult him even without him being there. Robert Cohn can be seen as the most "Lost" of "The lost generation" because he has low selfesteem, is an unwanted person in his group, and is constanly bored.
A "Lost generation" is a group of people in our time that have forgot what has happened in the past. No meaning in life and also not having a purpose. Lost generation is not the generation that is lost in the sense that it is ruined and destroyed but the generation that is unable to find the way and which is in the quest of values. If we want to have a true understanding of the lost generation we look at Robert Cohn he is definitely portrayed as a man who has no place in his society. Unlike Jake, Brett, Mike, and Bill, however, Cohn does not fit in because he is not part of the "Lost Generation."
Then we carefully look at the scene where Mike is insulting Robert at the dinner table in front of the whole group, we notice Mike is a little tight and he is not afriad to speak his mind. Mike has decided to speak for the whole group how Robert is not wanted and just needs to leave the group. Robert's behavior is not acceptable to the group. Mike is the type of person when is sober is quiet nice to around but once he starts drinking he says what is on his mind. I believe his actions to tell Robert the truth is good. Robert has been a problem to everyone since they set off from France to Spain.
A problem that Robert has is his low self esteem.Robert does not have emotions such as triumph and pride but instead his emotions consist of shame and despair. When Robert is being insulted by Mike in the restraunt Robert does not try to defend himself nor his pride he just tell Mike to "Shut up!" or to "Shove off". But Later on in a different scene Robert Fights with Jake, Mike and Romero. Robert is a skilled middleweight boxing champion of Princeton. Robert always had a inner comfort in knowing he could knock down anybody who was snooty to him, but he never fought except in the gym till now.
Moving on being a unwanted person like Robert you just do not know what to do with youself. Mike stated To Robert "He was an ass, though. He came down to San Sebastian where he damn well wasn't wanted. He hung around Brett and just looked at her. It made me damned well sick." and also "What a lot we've drunk." Mike replies, "You mean what a lot we've drunk. You went to sleep"This separates him from the group as well, and the others resent him for not having to deal with his problems by drinking and just being in there way of having a better time.
"I'm worried about how I'll stand it. I'm only afraid I may be bored," Cohn said. Of course, some people will not agreewith me. Others might agree with me that Robert does not find anything for him to be intrested. While Robert and the group is watching the bull fight, Robert is not enjoying it at all. When the fight is over and the group meet at the restraunt.Bill keeps making sure that Robert was not bored sitting at the table with the group. Than Mike gets starts to insult Robert about being a steer and how it is good to be a steer. But Ro does not take to much offence to Mike's insult.
Others may feel that Mike is just a person who need to leave Robert alone and leave the group himself. But I believe that Mike is the perfect person the group who can say things that others might just be thinking or that need to be said. Robert is a person who is a better just being a loner. Robert should not be in this group of people he does not belong because he is a weak missguided person with no set goal in life and wastes not only his time but the time of others.No matter how you look at it, theres really no valid reason
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