Final answer:
Salinger's and Hemingway's experiences in war led to themes of disillusionment and the questioning of societal values in their works, reflecting the broader shift in perceptions among the Lost Generation of writers.
Step-by-step explanation:
J.D. Salinger's experiences as a soldier during World War II deeply influenced his writing and perspective on life following his return from the war. His experiences manifested in his works through themes of innocence, alienation, and the effects of war on the human psyche. Salinger's most famous character, Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye, for instance, reflects Salinger's own disillusionment with the post-war society and its perceived phoniness. Furthermore, Salinger himself became reclusive after the war, which is seen as a way to cope with his traumatic experiences on the front lines.
Ernest Hemingway's wartime experiences were similarly transformative. Working as an ambulance driver in Italy during World War I, he was wounded and this left a lasting impact on him, both physically and psychologically. Hemingway's war experiences informed the disillusioned and sometimes tragically tainted outlook of his characters, as seen in his novels A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls. War's futility and the stark realities of the human condition became recurring themes in his writing.
The broader impact of war on authors is reflected in the sense of disillusionment and loss of faith in cultural values, a theme common among what is known as the Lost Generation. Writers like Hemingway and others provided a stark contrast to the heroic and glorified visions of war that had been previously romanticized, bringing to the forefront the grim and often pointless nature of such conflicts.