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Jake Barnes and Jay Gatsby

Summary:   In The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest hemingway, we have Jake Barnes, a young man running after Brett. Although he didn't become anything from this love he was happy that every time she did a mess she asked him to help her. For me he was just a tool that she used very well. We can see it when she asks him to introduce her to Romero and then leaves Jake without telling him something. The same thing was with The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitsgerald. He loved Daisy all his life. His greatest dream was to become her again. When she didn't respond him the way he wanted, he didn't even feel offended. He continues to protect her.

JAKE BARNES ( THE SUN ALSO RISES )

An American, from Kansas City, Jake Barnes, is working in newspaper agency in Paris. He was fighting in the World War I and was wounded there. It was such a terrible wound that made him impotent and he felt he didn't belong to the world he was living in. What he was actually feeling can be seen from the speech of the liaison colonel who came to visit him in hospital in Italy. Jake says:

" I was all bandaged up. But they had told him about it. Then he made that wonderful speech: " You, a foreigner, an Englishman" (any foreigner was an Englishman) " have given more than your life. ."

Jake wished to have this speech hung on the wall in his office. It was funny to him and he didn't want anyone to pity him. Because it was enough, for him to face such a problem, he didn't take serious anyone who might speak to him about his accident. The accident, which completely changed his life.

When he first came to England, he had met a nurse named Brett who will, in the meantime, become Lady Ashley after she has married Mr. Ashley. Jake fell in love with her. When he saw her for the first time he thought:

" I suppose she only wanted what she couldn't have. "

Perhaps she only wanted him because she couldn't fully have him. She was interested in him because there was something that differed him from other men she dated before. Brett never stopped loving him although she had relations with other men. He was the only " chap ", as she calls him, to whom she could confide herself. With him she never felt bored and alone, like with the other men.

They felt like there was something that was taken from them both by Jake's impotence. The impotence forbade them to live their love truly. And here Brett explains that:

" I simply turn all to jelly when you touch me. "

She just couldn't stand his touch because it felt really good to her. And the truth is that there was no chance to continue because there is still this obstacle, which prevented them to love each other normally.

His physical defect was affecting his psychological condition too. It seemed that Jake, because of his accident, had lost his will to go on with his life. And he was jealous to any man that came near Brett. This can be seen from the scene, in the club, when he was upset about Brett's appearance with the homosexual men. He was afraid that Brett one day might find a man and fell in love, and then forget Jake.

Jake was, also, upset when his good friend, Robert Cohn, told him that he likes Brett. When he asked Jake to tell him everything he knows about her, Jake said this to him:

" She's a drunk, " I said. " She's in love with Mike Campbell, and she's going to marry him. He's going to be rich as hell some day. "

Jake wanted Robert to look at Brett with disgust, and by saying that she is going to marry Mike he wanted to suggest him that she likes only rich men, not poor writers like Cohn. They had a dispute because Jake said all these awful things about Brett. On contrary, Cohn still found her very attractive and hoped that she will change her opinion after she meets him.

After the meeting between Brett and Cohn, they decide to go to San Sebastian and spend there few days. When they are back Brett says to Cohn that it was really beautiful with him, but she doesn't want to have a relationship. Cohn is mad about this and doesn't want to accept her decision.

Jake is now more thinking about Brett and their love:

" In the first place, you had to be in love with a woman to have a basis of friendship. I had been having Brett for a friend. I had not been thinking about her side of it. I had been getting something for nothing. "

He is in love with Brett, but feels that he has nothing to offer her except his friendship and his affection. And still, she wanted his friendship even if there was nothing she could get from him.

When she was back and far from Cohn, Brett confesses Jake how she feels about her relationships and thinks that her behaviour was the reason for her dissatisfaction in their love life:

" When I think of the hell I've put chaps through. I'm paying for it now. "

Here she says that she caused this situation between them. Jake tries to comfort her but she is only in love with him and is fed up with his impotence. This makes him more incapable and it hurts him pretty much.

When Jake and his friends came to Pamplona, the city where the bullfights were performed, Robert was constantly running after Brett. He hasn't cared for Brett's fiancé Mike. Mike was fed up with this and tries to show Cohn that he is angry with him. Mike calls him " a steer ", weak animal ruled by powerful violent bulls, because he always follows Brett. And that was certainly true, Robert was not a real man, and he had to be led through life like he was a little boy.

Mike's statement also concerned Jake's behaviour. When Brett asks him to introduce her to a young bull-fighter Pedro Romero, he just does this. And this act is opposing to his emotions for Brett. Perhaps he only wanted to see her happy, or he was just resigned to give her to the other man because he wasn't able to satisfy their love.

After Brett has gone with Romero, Jake went to San Sebastian on the beach. There he felt the freedom he hadn't had for long time. As he dove he was really relieved from Brett and that love that was leading to nothing. He says:

" As a roller came I dove, swam out under water, and came to the surface with all the chill gone. "

All the things he worried about for a long time had gone and now he can go further without any remorse, about his love for Brett. Actually he has decided that he would let her go and forget. He wanted just to be friend with her, but nothing more.

At the end, Jake and Brett had met in Madrid. She left Romero because he wanted to marry her and the reason, as she said is:

" I'm not going to be one of these bitches that ruins children. "

She meant that she didn't want to spoil the life of the young bull-fighter. It was easier, for her, just to leave him without telling him the reason. Now, Brett wanted again to marry Mike because he was " her sort of thing ." And she knew he wouldn't mind even if she betrays him some day.

Jake is now certain more than ever that he had got over Brett and it can be seen from their very last conversation:

" Oh, Jake ", Brett said, " We could have had such a damned good time together."

" Yes ", I said, " Isn't it pretty to think so? "

He turned a new leaf in his life and wanted only to remember the time they spent together. That was a really good decision for their relationship, because there was no good in living a forbidden life, and even to know that tomorrow nothing would be different.

JAY GATSBY ( THE GREAT GATSBY )

Jay Gatsby, was a young man, coming from lower class family, and loved a girl named Daisy. Because she was from good, rich family they were not supposed to be together. However, they planned their wedding. In the meantime, Jay had to go to war. Daisy felt betrayed and married Tom, just because, at that time she needed to find comfort.

Five years later, Gatsby became rich and lived, in less fashionable part of the town, in the West Egg. Of course he could afford to live in better part, East Egg, where Daisy lived. Jay just wanted her to be across the bay and so not far from him.

In the West Egg, Gatsby was known as a rich man, who gives the best parties. Even if he had a lot of people every night around him, he didn't really feel fulfilled. There was something that was always missing. It was a lack of love. True love, as that he felt for Daisy. He knew, only she can make him happy and satisfied with his life.

So, he asks this girl Jordan, who dated Nick, Daisy's cousin, to arrange a meeting for Gatsby and Daisy. Even if Gatsby knew Nick, anyway he wanted Jordan to ask him. Nick says:

" I hadn't asked Jordan to tea in order to discuss Mr. Jay Gatsby. I was sure the request would be something utterly fantastic, and for a moment I was sorry I'd ever set foot upon his overpopulated lawn. "

Nick believed that Gatsby was his friend. And after this situation he felt like Gatsby rejected him. But what Nick didn't see was that Gatsby just used him to fulfil his only dream- to be together with Daisy, again.

The day of their meeting came and Daisy didn't know that Gatsby would be at Nick's house, too. Gatsby was already with Nick when Daisy came. Nick left him to open the door for Daisy but when they were back Jay disappeared. Then he entered the house and acted like he didn't know she would be there. At their first meeting he behaves like seeing her wasn't of importance for him. She says:

" I certainly am awfully glad to see you again. "

" We've met before "- muttered Gatsby

Nick leaves them to talk and goes outside and waits. When he comes back Daisy cried and Gatsby, as Nick says:

" He literally glowed; without a word or gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room. "

Daisy was crying because they were talking about their love. Gatsby was happy because Daisy showed same feelings for him. He felt like she loved him the same way she did before.

For some time Gatsby and Daisy were in love and sometimes she came to visit him. One day Nick and Gatsby were invited for lunch at Daisy's house. Tom, Daisy's husband, was jealous. They drove to town and in a hotel, Tom and Jay argued about Gatsby's business. This arguing leads them to love of Daisy and Gatsby. Gatsby says Tom that Daisy still loves him, but Daisy doesn't want to say what Jay expected.

" He wanted nothing less of Daisy that she should go to Tom and say: " I never loved you. "

Even though she thought she loved Gatsby all her life, it seemed like the time erased her feelings and now she was somehow between love for Gatsby and her life with Tom. But she couldn't leave Tom now when everyone knew she was his wife. It was so hard for her to decide whether she will lose her status or she will forget Gatsby.

Tom says he loves Daisy but he betrays her with several women, each of them was a lower class than Daisy. He is with Daisy because she has firm social standing. Tom was cheating her with Myrtle, woman of a lower class.

As Daisy was driving to her house, Gatsby was with her. Myrtle wanted to escape from her husband and runs into the street. Daisy hits her with Gatsby's car and instantly kills her.

Gatsby wants to take guilt on him. He loves Daisy so much that he just wants to protect her. Gatsby stays whole night under her window, to be sure nothing bad will happen to her.

On the next day Nick goes to see Gatsby and tells him to leave. But he couldn't just leave not telling Daisy about his plan. He was afraid that someone would accuse her of killing this innocent woman.

The same day Gatsby goes to swim in his pool. Myrtle's husband, George, finds him and shoots Gatsby with gun. Then George kills himself because he knew he revenged his wife.

Tom and Daisy, after the accident, leave the town and Nick can't find them. No one comes at Gatsby's funeral, no one of his, so called, friends. There is only Nick who organizes everything, and is the only friend who cared for Gatsby.

After several days he meets Tom in the town and he tells him, he gave Gatsby's address to George. Nick is disappointed from him as well as from Daisy. He says:

" They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made... "

This time it was Nick who kept Gatsby's secret and didn't want Daisy to get hurt. Even if Gatsby now was dead she gained her security from his death. She and Tom won the battle and behaved, as they were the tops of the world.

CONCLUSION

These two books, as it can be very good seen, are really connected. We have Jake Barnes, a young man running after Brett. Although he didn't become anything from this love he was happy that every time she did a mess she asked him to help her. For me he was just a tool that she used very well. We can see it when she asks him to introduce her to Romero and then leaves Jake without telling him something.

The same thing was with Gatsby. He loved Daisy all his life. His greatest dream was to become her again. When she didn't respond him the way he wanted, he didn't even feel offended. He continues to protect her.

Gatsby, as well as Jake felt lost in his life. Jay and Jake wanted to fulfil their dreams. Jake wanted to satisfy Brett's expectations from a man and Gatsby wanted to become Daisy back. Jake was physically and also emotionally prevented to love.

Gatsby was emotionally weak and he was blinded by love for Daisy.

Maybe these characters show the emotional condition of men after the World War I.

It was not only a lack of love they felt, but they also behaved like nothing else was interesting to them.

At the end Jake found himself again and decides to live his life far from Brett. And Gatsby was killed and it showed also a kind of change. If he were still alive he would probably suffer because of Daisy's rejection. So, they did the right thing and decided to be happy, finally.

F.Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby

Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises