Isolation is a central theme in 'The Sun Also Rises' and appears in two ways. The first is in the form of isolation from society and the second as isolation from each other.
The war has changed society and the characters are struggling to find their place in the new society. We see the characters in the book with empty lives, desperately trying to fill it with activities like drinking. This comes across especially when we compare their outer lives to their inner thoughts. While their outer activities appear to be happy activities, we see that none of the characters are happy. Their actions can be seen as an attempt to distract them from the emptiness of their lives. One of the major things the war has changed is the idea of what it means to be male, this is another factor that has the characters searching. This idea comes across in the way Jack has physically lost his manhood, but this is also a representation of the fact that all the characters have lost their manhood, or what was once defined as manhood. Brett also serves to make the point, while she is female, she has many male characteristics including short hair, a male name and both strength and independence. She is a sign of the way things have changed.
Isolation from each other is the second way that the theme of isolation is represented. We rarely see real communication between the characters. The war is the main topic which each of the characters are struggling with, but they only ever mention it in humorous terms. Conversations always take place behind the mask of alcohol and the only communication that touches on emotions is with the fishing trip. We also see few real friendships, the characters are essentially hiding from each other, unable to express their true feelings.
Overall, the theme of isolation is all underpinned by the war, it has changed the ideas of society, and each of the characters is searching for new meaning. Through their inability to communicate with each other, each of the characters searches alone, which only increases their isolation. Each of the characters are isolated from themselves, their place in society and each other.
