In the book, The Sun Also Rises, we were all introduced to the character Brett. In this book, were are constantly given the idea and the "dream" of Jake and Brett being together, but tragically not being able to be together due to the accident. Throughout the book, Brett and Jake tell each other that they are in love with each other but Brett never seems to show that, but instead seems to be more attracted to the idea of being with Jake.
Throughout the book, Hemingway seems to picture Brett as a male character in modern times, someone who can't be tied down to one relationship and instead enjoys themselves with many. Surely, somebody who really enjoys the idea of being in a relationship with someone else would look past the small detail of such an accident, right? In my head, love seems to be more about the connection between people. To me, if two people truly want to be together, they simply would.
On the other hand, is Brett simply trying to protect Jake? We were told earlier in the book that Brett simply couldn't be with Jake because he didn't want to hurt Jake. She knows that she can't force herself to be tied down. So, her act of preventing herself from getting into the relationship just to end it with heartbreaking Jake seems way worse than just not getting into the relationship in the first place.
Then again, the argument can be made that Brett just simply doesn't love Jake. In many cases of the book, we can see Brett almost using Jake because of his interest in her. Jake knows that he can't be in a relationship with Brett, so out of love, does many thing for her to help her to show his affection. In many cases, this causes Jake to be depressed or hurt himself. We see this in many scenes, such as when Jake had to set up a date for Brett, or the last scene in the book, where Jake keeps on drinking bottles and bottles of wine when near Brett. Sure the argument can be made that Jake just drinks a lot, but he never acts like this when Brett isn't near.
Overall, both sides have valid arguments. Is Jake just getting played here? Or is Brett just trying her best to not hurt Jake? Whats do you guys think?
Throughout the book, Hemingway seems to picture Brett as a male character in modern times, someone who can't be tied down to one relationship and instead enjoys themselves with many. Surely, somebody who really enjoys the idea of being in a relationship with someone else would look past the small detail of such an accident, right? In my head, love seems to be more about the connection between people. To me, if two people truly want to be together, they simply would.
On the other hand, is Brett simply trying to protect Jake? We were told earlier in the book that Brett simply couldn't be with Jake because he didn't want to hurt Jake. She knows that she can't force herself to be tied down. So, her act of preventing herself from getting into the relationship just to end it with heartbreaking Jake seems way worse than just not getting into the relationship in the first place.
Then again, the argument can be made that Brett just simply doesn't love Jake. In many cases of the book, we can see Brett almost using Jake because of his interest in her. Jake knows that he can't be in a relationship with Brett, so out of love, does many thing for her to help her to show his affection. In many cases, this causes Jake to be depressed or hurt himself. We see this in many scenes, such as when Jake had to set up a date for Brett, or the last scene in the book, where Jake keeps on drinking bottles and bottles of wine when near Brett. Sure the argument can be made that Jake just drinks a lot, but he never acts like this when Brett isn't near.
Overall, both sides have valid arguments. Is Jake just getting played here? Or is Brett just trying her best to not hurt Jake? Whats do you guys think?
Personally I don't think Brett really loves Jake. Certainly she loves the idea of him, or them, or what they could have had. And I think she loves it because it will always remain hypothetical, and so in their heads it will always have the best possible outcome. But, he exists in real life almost exactly how the ideal version of him exists, and Brett doesn't seem to want to try to be with him. I don't think she wants to hurt him, but she lacks empathy and I don't think that would change even if they could be together.
ReplyDeleteI want to convince myself that Brett loves Jake because it’s awfully painful to think that Jake is devoting himself time and time again to someone who actually wouldn’t do the same for him. But that’s kind of what happens… I don’t think we see very many examples of Brett’s love for Jake. Are there actually any concrete displays of devotion from Brett? We definitely see Jake devoting himself to Brett when he sets her up with Romero, or when he helps her when she runs out of money and parts ways with Romero. I think actions speak louder than words. If she truly cared for Jake, I find it hard to imagine she’d ask him to set her up with another man because that is clearly extremely painful for him. On the other hand, things are complicated by Brett’s past, which helps to explain why she may have difficulty with devotion.
ReplyDeleteI get the sense that Brett is just playing with Jake. She definitely uses him at times and i'm hesitant to accept that his injury would keep them from being together, but it's possible. I also can't think of any reason to believe that she doesn't tell other guys she loves them but she can't be with them because of some petty reason. She could have told this to Mike, too, unless i'm missing something. But since we only see Jake's perspective there's no way to know how she is when in private with other men, and thus, no way to know whether this theory is correct.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the crucial point when it comes to the possibility of Brett and Jake being in a relationship is not whatever excuses that they come up with, but the fact that they are both damaged and have their own personal issues that haven't been dealt with. Brett clearly has some trauma due to past relationships and Jake can still have trauma from the war (other than coping with his injury). While the two of them get along and claim that they love each other and are there for each other, I think it's really important to point out that they would both struggle to be in a healthy relationship while dealing with their own issues.
ReplyDeletePeople may love each other and want to be together but sometimes relationships end up being toxic due to clashing personalities or ways of life. Personally, I feel like Brett does love Jake since she does keep on going back to him. To me it seemed like the other guys are a way to fill in the void in her life due to her past trauma from her husband and that she isn’t able to sustain any sort of healthy relationship, least of all with Jake.
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