Summary:
Jake Barnes is not the hero in the novel
"The Sun Also Rises". He is just the protagonist and the narrator. He really doesn't accomplish anything courageous or of great nobility. As an American expatriate, Jake wanders through Paris and other cities, going from bar to bar and drinking heavily at each.
The motivation of Jake Barnes, the central character, is his love for Brett Ashley. This is most explicit as Jake tells Brett that "I love you so much" (p. 61). However, Jake later begs Brett to be with him, but she replies that she would always "tromper" him (p.62), a French word meaning "to commit adultery." (French Linguistics, Neil Coffey) A wound Jake receives during the war renders him impotent, and he thus cannot satisfy Brett's need for sex.
Another motivation for Jake is surviving the remaining years as a war veteran. Throughout the novel, Jake and his expatriate friends spend a good deal of time in Paris drinking and talking about drinking. Jake is very passionate for liquor. (Djos, p. 1) For example, one of Jake's friends refers to Jake as an "extraordinary champagne buyer." (p. 89) This is his way of living as a war veteran.
Jake Barnes is not the hero of the novel. He is just the protagonist and the narrator. He really doesn't accomplish anything courageous or of great nobility. As an American expatriate, Jake wanders through Paris and other cities, going from bar to bar and drinking heavily at each.
Jake Barnes lacks physical masculinity which in turn makes him impotent. Jake does not mention his insecurities directly. From one of Jake's flashbacks, he reveals Gurko, an Italian general, alluding to the severity of his sacrifice with his solemn recognition, "you... have given more than your life" (p. 39). Gurko further emphasizes Jake's castration by, "Burdened by a handicap that would crush most men, he bears it stoically" (p. 57). Jake's disability prevents him from having sex with his love, Brett Ashley.
Both Robert Cohn, a friend of Jake, and Pedro Romero, a bullfighter, are characters in the novel that go against what Jake is trying to accomplish. Both have a relationship with Brett, whom Jake loves very much. Robert is infatuated by Brett and he finds her very attractive. But Brett doesn't like that at all because it is in between her love with Jake and also her fiancé, Mike (p.215). Later, Brett and Romero have a relationship for a while until Brett opts out because she did not want to ruin him (p.243). By the end, Brett realizes that it would have been better if she were to spend time with Jake instead. (p. 251)
The main characters in the novel are mainly round. Jake demonstrates that he can be a very nice and helpful person to Frances and Brett yet he can be cruel to his friend Robert Cohn (p.49) (p.238). Another contradictory aspect about Jake is that although he understands the flaws of the world and the people around him, he almost never takes action to correct those flaws. He advises Cohn that "[n]obody" feels fulfilled in their lives, except a small group of extraordinary people (p. 16). Jake implies that Cohn must learn to live with his feeling of discontent. Jake simply accepts this fact or belief, as he advises Cohn to do the same.
Another example of a round character is Brett Ashley. She exerts great power over the men around her, as her beauty seems to charm everyone she meets. Moreover, she refuses to commit to any one man, preferring independence. However, her independence does not make her happy. She complains to Jake about how miserable she is--her life, she claims, is aimless and unsatisfying. As Jake remarks, "She can't go anywhere alone." (p. 67) Although she will not commit to any one man, she seems uncomfortable being by herself.
Jake Barnes is a dynamic character to some degree. Throughout the story, Jake always keeps Brett Ashley in company whenever she needs it. He does this thinking that this will strengthen his relationship with Brett Ashley. However, nothing of this sort happens, instead Brett pursues into an affair with Pedro Romero, a handsome bullfighter.
But, in the end, Jake realizes something very important about Brett. As Brett asks Jake "we could have had such a damned time together", Jake replies "isn't it pretty to think so?" (p. 251). He seems to appreciate the fact that a relationship between him and Brett, if such a thing had been possible, would have been unlikely to end differently than any of her other failed relationships. Jake is suffering because he cannot have Brett, but he seems to reach a more realistic appreciation of their situation as well as his own.
Reference
"French Linguistics." French Dictionary. 7 Dec. 2005. Neil Coffey. 1 May 2006 http://www.frenchlinguistics.com/dictionary/
Djos, Matts. Alcoholism in Ernest Hemingway's THE SUN ALSO RISES. Mesa State College. Moscow, Idaho: University of Idaho P, 1995.
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