While Hemingway largely does not implicate himself in alcohol abuse or the negative physical effects of drinking, it is a well-known fact that Hemingway did have a destructive relationship with alcohol and that his physical and mental deterioration around the time that he was revising A Moveable Feast was at least partially the result of a lifetime of heavy drinking. Furthermore, many of the characters are described as suffering from physical ailments as a result of drinking. Scott and Zelda’s drinking clearly inhibits Scott’s ability to work and causes destructive conflicts between the two of them.

Gertrude Stein accuses all men of Hemingway’s age of being a “lost generation” who drown the trauma and nihilism they inherited from serving in the war through reckless drinking.

Many characters are shown to be in the grips of alcoholism, including Scott, Zelda, and Ford. However, alcohol also has a decidedly sinister presence within the narrative. Hemingway’s descriptions of delicious drinks-such as the fruit liqueur served at 27 rue de Fleurus or the many wines he samples during his time in France-further underlines the impression that alcohol is a simple pleasure that enriches Hemingway’s life, a small luxury that makes life in Paris pleasurable (even for those like Hemingway and Hadley who are forced to live on a very small budget). Many of the scenes take place in cafés and bars over drinks, and alcohol is shown to fuel conversation between the characters. Indeed, alcohol is such a major part of the normal routine of Hemingway’s day-to-day life that he admits that sometimes he skips meals, not because he doesn’t have enough money to afford food, but because he doesn’t see the appeal of eating without alcohol and he cannot afford both. Hemingway enjoys drinking, and he mentions that in Europe alcohol was seen as a “normal” and “healthy” part of everyday life. Alcohol features significantly in A Moveable Feast, with both positive and negative associations.

A moveable feast sparknotes