Facades
In The Sun Also Rises, Jake Barnes isn’t really the most loveable character because he seems to be racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic. Also, his views on masculinity are kind of annoying. Aside from all of this, there are a few times where we can relate to him.
“It is awfully easy to be hard-boiled about everything in the daytime, but at night it is another thing.” (42)
Jake says that it is easy for him to act all manly during the day when he’s around others. Later at night when he is all alone, he lets himself go. You can see this when he’s around his friends he acts all superior. He thinks he’s better than Cohn and he seems to decide who is good enough to hang around with Brett. But later when he’s home alone, he starts thinking about Brett and starts to cry. Around others, he tries to act as if nothing really bothers him but alone he lets himself be sad.
He puts up a front with others. He has an act to show to the world. Doesn’t everybody? We act differently when we’re with others than when we’re by ourselves. We try to present a version of ourselves that we like to the world. But when we’re alone we let go. Everyone has an act, and the show is over when we are by ourselves. Jake also says that it is easy for him to do this. And isn’t he right? We get so used to acting that it comes naturally. We know what we can and can’t do around others to maintain the façade. It becomes routine, it’s easy. Jake Barnes may not be the most loveable character, but he can be relatable.
Well put. I think that, despite the differences in their styles, both Woolf and Hemingway present very realistic, nuanced characters. Clarissa wasn't as dislikable as Jake, but she had some characteristics I disagreed with, but I was still able to sympathize with her. Overall, both novels are centered around their characters' personalities, instead of just using them as vehicles for the plot, and I wonder if this is unique among these two writers, or if many other writers were moving toward that as well.
ReplyDeleteI love how you say that "Jake Barnes may not be the most lovable character, but he can be relatable." I have often equated likeable and relatable, but I completely agree that Jake has a terribly flawed character that is quite relatable and sympathetic. I wonder what makes Jake decide why he must have this unlikable facade when in public. Why doesn't he find friends that would accept his true side?
ReplyDeleteThis is very true. Some experiences are simply universal, no matter how hard we wish they weren't. Jake's life is a misery because misery is the most universal human experience.
ReplyDeleteA bit I wonder if this is why Hemingway wrote so little about emotion, allowing us only to see the tip of the iceberg- The more of Jake's thoughts that we specifically understand, the less we can relate to him.
I think part of the reason he has trouble telling his friends about his true self is because they are all guys, with the exception of Brett. He puts up this facade because he's self-conscious due to the fact that he has a war injury. He might think that the other men in his life will judge him and think he is less of a man than the others because of this so he has to put up a strong front. I even doubt if Brett would know if she hadn't been the one who treated him after the injury.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, I also think that the excessive drinking Jake partakes in all of the time helps him keep this facade up. We notice in Spain that he puts down this guard a bit. Maybe because there is no Brett or maybe because he is enjoying the activities he loves.
ReplyDeleteEven though Jake clearly has issues, I kind of liked him as I read the book. It’s quite sad to think that we all walk around with a facade and are never truly ourselves in public. I wish this weren’t the case.
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