Jake's development

    When I read the final line of The Sun Also Rises I immediately understood it as Jake dismissing Brett's comment on their possible relationship. Without realizing it as I was reading through the first time, as I looked back through the last few pages of the book, I think there were multiple hints that lead me to draw that conclusion instead of regarding his words in a different tone. 
    The first hint I came across was that Jake was visibly annoyed that Brett called him to Madrid and he said "Well, that meant San Sebastian all shot to hell". This was a reaction we hadn't previously seen from Jake. Any other time when Brett had asked for his help, he had always assisted her with no hesitation and no angry feelings. This time, he was less excited to drop everything to help Brett. It's really telling that he wasn't so wrapped around her finger anymore and even though he still went, this was the first step to eventually not giving in to her every wish. 
    The next moment I noticed was when Brett and Jake are together dining at Botín's and Jake continues drinking even after Brett wants him to stop. As we've seen throughout the novel, Jake will doing anything Brett asks of him so to suddenly not listen to her is quite out of character for Jake. While he doesn't outright say "no", he obviously ignores what Brett asked of him. In addition, I interpreted the fact that he continues to drink in her company to signal that he doesn't want to be fully sober and conscious around her. Being drunk would greatly alter Jake's mood and he could better control his feelings (maybe) and not completely remember the conversation when he gets sober again. I think it goes for anyone that a conversation you want to be fully engaged and present in is not one where you also get drunk. 
    Lastly, his final words were what convinced me that Jake was beginning to develop and distance himself from Brett. The two had almost the exact same conversation in the cab in Paris but Jake's responses were completely different in the two instances. In Paris, Jake asks Brett if they could try again or suggests that maybe there are other ways for them to be together and pleads with her even though he knows what her answer will be. In Madrid, Jake abruptly shuts down any daydreaming about what their relationship could have been with a curt and vague answer. If he really wanted to think about their relationship he would have acted similarly to the first time. His answer signals that he's beginning to move on and shift his focus off of just Brett and onto what else he has in life. It's subtle and definitely not definitive but I think Jake was finally beginning to find himself after a long time of struggling with insecurity because of his injury.
    Throughout the entire book I had never seen another moment where Jake acted as he did around Brett in the final pages and it's interesting how Jake's behavior shifted so dramatically; he went from dropping everything for Brett and doing whatever she wanted to feeling a little more hesitant and annoyed at what Brett was asking him to do. I think a big part of this has to do with Jake finally being able to enjoy himself alone. Any other time we had seen him by himself, he was always feeling sad and insecure. In San Sebastian though, he was neither of those and he began to feel more comfortable in his own mind and body. Without Brett there to constantly put him down (implying it's Jake's fault they can't have a relationship, leading him on by one minute saying she loves him and the next minute saying she loves someone else, etc) and Cohn not there to subconsciously make him insecure, Jake could finally relax and not worry about his injury, his past, or anything else that troubled him. Jake finally started to feel a sense of self and not be a doormat everyone, especially Brett, could walk all over.  

Comments

  1. Zachary's History as Fiction BlogNovember 22, 2020 at 10:37 AM

    I agree with you that there is some progress here as Jake does not act in blind loyalty to Brett but instead thinks a little bit more critically about his choices. This blind devotion tended to lead him to a more subservient position that hurt him in the long run, as he became more and more attached to Brett and it impacted his life in a more and more negative way.

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