The novel, narrated from Jake's perspective, gives us the sense that he's trying to pretend the injury doesn't phase him. This depicts the forced concept of masculinity, as pertinent to this time period. After World War I, men were expected to come back as hyper-masculine versions of their old selves. In the case of Jake, however, things took an unexpected turn. In the process of doing what society expected him to--fight valiantly in the war--he lost the thing "more important than life itself." In this sense, he is also similar to Septimus in Mrs. Dalloway. Both men went in expecting to prove themselves, but when they returned it was clear that some part of them stayed in the war. What makes their loses different from that of an amputee, for example, is that their ailments aren't visible on first glance. Both seem relatively put together (Septimus less so, but he still has all his limbs), so it is hard for strangers to pity them.
Brett, on the other hand, is well aware of Jake's misfortune. In fact, she is the very nurse that cared for him in the war hospital, and this is when they fell in love. Because of Jake's injury, Hemingway portrays the two as star-crossed lovers. However, I find this weird. While it is clear that they may never be able to consummate the marriage (if there is one), both characters clearly want each other. Though Brett has her fun around town, she confesses that she is unhappy and misses him. At this point, I am confused as to what the author's intention is when he shows Brett as incapable of making it work with Jake. Is Hemingway trying to hint that women like her have lost all sense of compassion, and are only interested in sex? Overall, I want to see where this goes, and if they'll end up together or not.
Brett, on the other hand, is well aware of Jake's misfortune. In fact, she is the very nurse that cared for him in the war hospital, and this is when they fell in love. Because of Jake's injury, Hemingway portrays the two as star-crossed lovers. However, I find this weird. While it is clear that they may never be able to consummate the marriage (if there is one), both characters clearly want each other. Though Brett has her fun around town, she confesses that she is unhappy and misses him. At this point, I am confused as to what the author's intention is when he shows Brett as incapable of making it work with Jake. Is Hemingway trying to hint that women like her have lost all sense of compassion, and are only interested in sex? Overall, I want to see where this goes, and if they'll end up together or not.
It's interesting to see your take on this! Your point about female sexual promiscuity makes a lot of sense, I just hadn't considered it until now. Adding on to this, we see that throughout the novel, Brett is portrayed as a very outwardly charismatic and impulsive person, but inside she is dealing with unhappiness. This portrayal of Brett's opposite internal thoughts and external actions by Hemingway/ Jake isn't exactly negative or positive, and I think it ties into your point of how sexual promiscuity can be destructive, or at least very mentally/ emotionally unsatisfying.
ReplyDeleteI think that the idea of men being expected to act very masculine after coming back from the war is an interesting one, especially in Jake's specific context. This probably means that he's acting the way people expect him to act as a result of the war, and only he (and Brett) know that it's not really accurate and that he has security issues. This also raises questions about the origin of his super-masculine personality; whether he originally did it just to fit in or whether it was to hide his insecurities and it just happened to match people's expectations.
ReplyDeleteThis is a tricky question, and definitely one that will be interesting to revisit as the novel unfolds. Do we imagine that Brett *could* be a faithful partner to Jake if such a relationship were possible between them? Would she treat him differently from these other men? (She already does--her avowed "love" for him means that she appears to talk to him with a level of intimacy and semi-seriousness we don't see in her anywhere else.) Or is Brett just constitutionally not cut out for monogamy? The "tragedy" of the novel is that this question must always remain hypothetical--Jake and Brett will never get a chance to try.
ReplyDeleteDoes Hemingway implicitly denounce the modern loosening of behavioral standards for female sexuality? Is Brett a kind of "villain" for her promiscuity? Is Hemingway "blaming" such women (and, maybe too, openly gay men, Jews, racial minorities) for eroding masculine dominance? Is this a novel that is ultimately *nostalgic* for the prewar period, as a time where order reigned and everyone "knew their place"? These are good questions, worth thinking about.
I agree! I also get the feeling that they won't end up together. Many books try to make a point that love isn't enough, and I think this is one of them. Brett claims to be miserable all the time, presumably due to the fact that she can't be with Jake. So I guess at the end, Brett will have to decide if she'd rather be miserable or abstinent.
ReplyDeleteI often wonder if Brett really loves Jake. It seems, from what he's told us, that she does. However it also seems that many, many other men that she interacts with believe this as well. How does Jake know that he's special to Brett if she's a little flirty with everyone and keeps rejecting his proposals to go away together?
ReplyDeleteAnd we've questioned Jake's reliability as a narrator before: is it possible that Jake could be exaggerating her interest in him because he either perceives it as more intense than it is, or because he wants to justify his interest in her? I think it's kind of unclear.
Rather than Brett being emotionless and promiscuous, I see her as the quintessential ironical character who avoids sharing her emotions in any real capacity, instead choosing to distract herself with drinking and sex. Jake is well regarded in this group, but clearly separate. Maybe his biggest problem is lack of authentic emotional and psychological communication.
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up a good point about the time period in which this book took place in and how it affects the reader's perception of its characters. Similar to the 1920s illusion of prosperity, Brett's seems to be enjoying life and moving from man to man without a care for their feelings. Yet, her relationship with Jake brings her under question and shins a light on her seemingly carefree personality. Is she truly able to feel love? She may enjoy having physical relationships but is unable to connect with her "true love", Jake. This further reflects on her emotional immaturity and her inabilty to identify her emotions. Brett, despite all that I've siad, still has an element to her that makes her relationship with Jake very unpredictable. I guess, like you said, I'll just have to read to the end to find out whether they get together or not.
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