Jacob Barnes, also known as Jake, has a very ambiguous role in Hemingway's novel, The Sun Also Rises. He portrays himself as a calm, gentle man who likes to observe the drama unfolding around him rather than contributing to it himself, but on the inside, we get to know the emotionally unstable side of Jake, a person with many insecurities about his purpose in life. This combination of characteristics affects how Jake interacts and responds to the people around him throughout the novel, providing insight into his character.
In Paris, we see Jake aimlessly wandering from bar to bar, drinking as much as he can before moving on to the next. At one bar, Jake observes Brett enter with a group of gay men. Infuriated, he responds, "I was very angry. Somehow they always made me angry" (28). These men have done nothing to provoke such a reaction from Jake, instead, this reaction is caused due to Jake's insecurities over his sense of masculinity. He admits it himself, saying, "I know they are supposed to be amusing, and you should be tolerant, but I wanted to swing on one, any one, anything to shatter that superior, simpering composure" (28). Due to the nature of the wound he suffered in the war, Jake lashes out at those who do not take advantage of their masculinity. He continually attempts to prove to himself that he can be just as macho as those without his deficiency. The gay men in the quote highlight Jake's shortcomings, causing Jake to express his fury in the way he did.
Brett's relationship with Jake also provides an interesting insight into his character. Brett, having an intimate conversation with Jake, says, "'Isn't it rotten? There isn't any use my telling you I love you.' [Jake responds] 'You know I love you'" (62). Jake and Brett want to be in love with each other, but the complexity of their relationship, both publicly and privately, are not conducive towards a relationship that can be sustained. Brett wants a man that can fulfill her emotional and physical needs, and Jake is only able to satisfy the emotional aspect. Jake knows he does not have a chance at Brett, so he shares his innermost thoughts with her. Jake loves Brett and Brett returns that in the unique way she does, but in the end, they seem to be more in love with the idea of being in love than they actually are with each other.
Hemingway masterfully narrates the novel from Jake's perspective. From his thoughts and feelings to his everyday struggles, Jake can not be seen as a one-dimensional character. Hemingway leaves too much to be inferred, and not everything can be noticed in one reading. What do you think of Jake and his role in the novel? Does his character supplement or lead the plot?
Friday, September 28, 2018
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Deciphering Rezia
Lucrezia Smith, also known as Rezia, is not given the exposure her character deserves in Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway." In the grand scheme of the novel, she is portrayed as Septimus's wife; nothing more. From the outside, she looks and acts like a normal British housewife, but only from her mind do we learn about the immense emotions she feels about her life in the novel. In the end, we never actually discover her true internal feelings about her life as we do with Clarissa and Septimus. Nonetheless, even with the lack of information we are given about Rezia, it is possible to infer a lot about her as an individual character.
We are first introduced to Septimus and Rezia in the motorcade montage, where Septimus is transfixed on the motor vehicle and Rezia thought to herself, "People must notice; people must see...Septimus had said, 'I will kill myself'; an awful thing to say. Suppose they had heard him?...But failure one conceals. She must take him away into some park" (15). Rezia, who is both embarrassed by Septimus's behavior and frightened by his threats of suicide, highlights her unhappiness with her marriage with Septimus; a man she is in love with, but unable to deal with due to the horrors he experienced in the war.
Rezia continues to express her unhappiness with her life when she finally is able to take Septimus with her to Regent's Park, stating, "No; I can't stand it any longer, she was saying, having left Septimus, who wasn't Septimus any longer...for herself she had done nothing wrong; she had loved Septimus..." (64). Here, we learn of Rezia's frustrations with Septimus. She can no longer tolerate his behavior. Septimus had changed; he was not the same person she had married, and she felt as if she were his caretaker instead of his wife. He continually makes references to killing himself, prompting Rezia to recall her previous life with her sisters where, "...she had been happy; she had had a beautiful home, and there her sisters lived still, making hats. Why should she suffer?" (64). She does not feel any positive emotions anymore, continually questioning her decision to stay with Septimus, who would not have cared at all if she had left him. Alone and isolated, Rezia felt only sadness. On one hand, Septimus is the only person who could keep her happy; on the other, he was incapable of doing so.
Near the end of the story, for a few moments, Septimus was exhibiting behavior that was characterized as being qualities of the old Septimus, and for once in the novel, we saw Rezia sharing an intimate moment with him; a true husband and wife interaction. Rezia looked truly happy, even sharing a few laughs with Septimus before he went to sleep. This event is very important to Rezia's character as it demonstrated that she was still in love with Septimus. In spite of all the suffering she had been through, Rezia was still willing to mend her relationship with Septimus. But unfortunately, we are unable to see their relationship progress as Rezia's story ends with Septimus's inevitable suicide.
What do you think Rezia will do now that Septimus has killed himself? Will she go back to Italy, or stay and suffer more?
We are first introduced to Septimus and Rezia in the motorcade montage, where Septimus is transfixed on the motor vehicle and Rezia thought to herself, "People must notice; people must see...Septimus had said, 'I will kill myself'; an awful thing to say. Suppose they had heard him?...But failure one conceals. She must take him away into some park" (15). Rezia, who is both embarrassed by Septimus's behavior and frightened by his threats of suicide, highlights her unhappiness with her marriage with Septimus; a man she is in love with, but unable to deal with due to the horrors he experienced in the war.
Rezia continues to express her unhappiness with her life when she finally is able to take Septimus with her to Regent's Park, stating, "No; I can't stand it any longer, she was saying, having left Septimus, who wasn't Septimus any longer...for herself she had done nothing wrong; she had loved Septimus..." (64). Here, we learn of Rezia's frustrations with Septimus. She can no longer tolerate his behavior. Septimus had changed; he was not the same person she had married, and she felt as if she were his caretaker instead of his wife. He continually makes references to killing himself, prompting Rezia to recall her previous life with her sisters where, "...she had been happy; she had had a beautiful home, and there her sisters lived still, making hats. Why should she suffer?" (64). She does not feel any positive emotions anymore, continually questioning her decision to stay with Septimus, who would not have cared at all if she had left him. Alone and isolated, Rezia felt only sadness. On one hand, Septimus is the only person who could keep her happy; on the other, he was incapable of doing so.
Near the end of the story, for a few moments, Septimus was exhibiting behavior that was characterized as being qualities of the old Septimus, and for once in the novel, we saw Rezia sharing an intimate moment with him; a true husband and wife interaction. Rezia looked truly happy, even sharing a few laughs with Septimus before he went to sleep. This event is very important to Rezia's character as it demonstrated that she was still in love with Septimus. In spite of all the suffering she had been through, Rezia was still willing to mend her relationship with Septimus. But unfortunately, we are unable to see their relationship progress as Rezia's story ends with Septimus's inevitable suicide.
What do you think Rezia will do now that Septimus has killed himself? Will she go back to Italy, or stay and suffer more?
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