What’s Up With the Ending?

Best. Ending. Ever. Seriously, guys. In the last words of this novel, Hemingway delivers a memorable and hard-hitting diagnosis of his generation: "Isn’t it pretty to think so?" The speaker, Jake, is referring specifically to the idea that he and Brett, his romantic interest, could have had "a damned good time together;" more generally, however, Hemingway expresses the sense of hopelessness and resignation that he sees in the world around him. Basically, it’s saying that everyone has their hopes and dreams – but they can’t be fulfilled. The best anyone can do is wistfully (or cynically) indulge in the fantasy that these dreams could have been possible in some alternate universe.