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The Sun Also Rises: Brett and Jake

    The Sun Also Rises takes us on the journey of Brett’s adventures and life- particularly her love life. Perhaps out of all the men Brett has been with, Jake is the most notable, her relationship with him is different than those of the other men. The other’s seem to be mere hookups, other than her fiance which she doesn’t even seem to have that much of an emotional attachment to. From the first scene Brett and Jake are introduced together, we can clearly tell something is up. The taxi cab scene tells us a lot about both Jake and Brett as people but also their relationship to each other. For example, we are able to pick up on the fact that Brett is one of the only people that knows about Jake’s injury because of how they met in the war. Not only this but the scene unveils that Brett and Jake had a past that didn’t work out, and it seems as though it won’t work out in the future. The two of them want to be together but know it won’t work because it didn’t in the past. 

    The taxi scene is almost entirely paralleled at the end of the book but rather than the longing and hope we feel in the beginning, we are met with acceptance and closure to an extent. The book ends with Brett stating they would’ve been great together, and Jake replying isn’t it pretty to think so. This all happens as Jake once again comes to Brett’s rescue in her time of need and she is resting comfortably on his shoulder. Again, even during this scene that is met with acceptance, it’s still clear that there is something between them. But throughout the book it is easier to tell that it doesn’t really resemble love in its healthiest form. Because of how Jake and Brett met (under the tensions of the war), they formed a bond that way, and their relationship resembles a sort of trauma bond. They will never really be able to leave each other’s lives because there is a sense of comfort, knowingness, and familiarity. Brett knows about Jake’s injury and he can let his guard down around her, and Brett finds some sort of comfort in Jake. Although we may have not gotten the ending we were wanting and there are many questions still left unanswered for us, the two care about each other and did find their version of closure in the end.  

Comments

  1. WilliamNovember 15, 2022 at 1:03 PM

    Nice job of dissecting these two fascinating scenes, Lili. To me, the first taxi ride is dramatic, a little comical, and very entertaining. It feels like it came straight out of a movie or something. The way the first rendition of the taxi ride impacts the reader makes the later rendition so much more touching and memorable.

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  2. MitchellNovember 21, 2022 at 12:56 PM

    One way to look at Jake's take on all of this is that he doesn't really blame *Brett* for their tragic circumstances: they cannot be together in any conventional sexual or romantic sense, but that's because of his injury, and the war, and life's tragic unfairness. So when he experiences this emotional (and physical) torment by being around her, he doesn't resent *her* for making him feel this way--it's another unwelcome reminder of his limitations, of his wound, of his trauma, and we know he'd rather not think or talk about it.

    We're inclined to feel like Brett is being callous or unkind to Jake, but we need to remind ourselves that she has made no vow of celibacy to him, and she doesn't owe him any sexual fidelity. They have an "understanding," and Jake is even okay with taking on the role of "wingman," as so many in class observed. His stoicism generally dictates that he must try to endure this suffering without complaint, and to meet his obligations to Brett regardless of how he feels about it. When he's alone, and even when he's alone with Brett, he isn't able to maintain this stoicism--it HURTS to be around her! But he's able to master those feelings, tamp them down, and get on with life. Maybe we see more of that stoicism and acceptance in the final scene, where he doesn't seem nearly as upset about Romero as he had earlier about Cohn.

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