Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Jake Barnes as a Hemingway Hero Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Jake Barnes as a Hemingway Hero - Essay Example Cohn likes Barnes so much that he wants to travel to South America, then to the fiesta in Spain. Brett often turns to Barnes for advice. Brett expresses a wish to be with Barnes, if the circumstances were different. Outsiders looking at Jake Barnesââ¬â¢ life would think he had everything. An example would be when Georgette, a girl Barnesââ¬â¢ met one night, commented to him ââ¬Å"You have nice friendsâ⬠(Hemingway 27). All of these friends did not help Barnesââ¬â¢ misery ebb. Barnesââ¬â¢ misery stems from a World War I wound. This wound has left Barnes impotent. The foremost pain in Barnesââ¬â¢ heart is Brettââ¬â¢s rejection of him based on his impotency. Barnes loves Brett. He would do anything for Brett. However the one thing he cannot provide, intimacy, is what she demands. Another facet of Barnesââ¬â¢ misery due to his impotency is his feelings of unmanliness. Since he cannot consummate any relationship physically, any relationship with Brett or any other woman is out of the question. This depresses Barnes. Most men equate being a man with their sexual prowess. In Barnesââ¬â¢ life journey accepting his impotency and moving on is crucial. Through out this novel, Jake Barnes is searching for the meaning of life or happiness. At first Barnes thinks happiness would only be found by being with Brett. Upon her rejection, Barnes tries to simplify his life in order to find the meaning of life. He goes fishing with Cohn, and then they go onto the fiesta. Every time Barnes gathers his thoughts, or tries to leave Brett to her own devices, she draws him back in. The futility of his life, of just living of being living with no meaning, can be summed up by Brettââ¬â¢s statement of the following ââ¬Å"Oh, Jake . . . we could have had such a damned good time togetherâ⬠and Barnes reply of ââ¬Å"Yes, isnââ¬â¢t it pretty to think so?â⬠(Hemingway 248) Barnes
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