wonders if God is really listening Jake says I was a little ashamed and regretted that I was such a rotten Catholic This line shows that Jake feels bad about not being a good believer He seems unsure about his faith His confusion and doubt show how much the war has affected him even in his religious beliefs Robert Cohn s Jewish Background and His Search for Meaning Jake's friend Robert Cohn is Jewish Cohn's friends sometimes make fun of him for this But religion is not a big part of his life either He does not seem to follow any religious practices His Jewish identity is just part of his background not something he follows deeply Cohn tries to find meaning in life through other things like love writing or traveling At one point Jake tells Cohn You can t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another This line shows that they live in a world where people are always trying to escape their problems But moving around provides no comfort Religion does not seem to help them either Brett's Rejection of Religious Values The female protagonist Lady Brett Ashley also does not follow religion She lives freely dates many men and breaks social rules Her lifestyle goes against traditional religious beliefs Brett seems to have rejected the kind of life that religion and society expect from women But deep inside she also feels sad and troubled In one scene when she and Jake are at a church Brett says Come on Let's get out of here Makes me damned nervous Brett feels nervous in the church and wants to leave This shows her inner conflict Like other characters Brett wants to escape from everything even from religion Religious Disconnection in the Story The setting of the novel is post-war Europe where religion used to be very important But the characters seem far away from those old religious traditions Their lives feel empty They do not seem to have any real direction A big example is the fiesta in Pamplona It is supposed to be a religious event but the characters treat it like a fun party They enjoy drinking and dancing not the religious meaning In conclusion Hemingway shows that religion is no longer a strong guide in the characters lives in this novel They are all trying to find meaning in a world that feels broken after the war Hemingway paints a picture of a generation that is lost no longer sure of what to believe or how to find peace