Character Development
Character Development
A central character of Ernest Hemingway's novel, The Sun Also Rises is Jake Barnes. He is a man of complex personality--compelling, powerful, restrained, bitter, pathetic, extraordinarily ordinary yet totally human. His character swings from one end of the psychological spectrum to the other end. He has complex personality, a World War I veteran turned as a journalist, living in Paris. To the world, he is very self-control but breaks down easily when alone, plagued by self-doubt and fears of inadequacy. He is at home in the company of friends in the society where he belongs, but he sees himself as someone from the outside looking in. He is not alone, yet he is lonely. In describing his friends and events that he participates in, Jake implicitly reveal his thoughts and feelings to the reader. Before the novel actually began, there are some pieces Jake hasn’t revealed to the reader that forms Jake’s character. Even though, Jake doesn’t say so directly, he was a soldier in World War I who was wounded. As a result, he has lost the ability to have sex.
Jake’s narration is very subtle and implicated, making the reader to fully understand the true nature of Jake’s wound. “I looked at myself in the mirror of the big armoire beside the bed. That was a typically French way to furnish a room. Practical, too. I suppose. Of all the ways to be wounded” (30). Also shows the fact that Brett, the love of his life, refuses to enter a relationship with limits because of Jake’s problem. “Couldn’t we live together, Brett? Couldn’t we just live together?” (62). Brett goes on with excuses that she can’t be with Jake, being that she would spend most of her time with many guys than with Jake. She would also have to give up sex if she is together with Jake. It shows the reader that their relationship cannot work cause of Jake’s injury and Brett’s pleasure for sex. Despite all of this, he continues to love Brett and be available to her when she needs him and do
A central character of Ernest Hemingway's novel, The Sun Also Rises is Jake Barnes. He is a man of complex personality--compelling, powerful, restrained, bitter, pathetic, extraordinarily ordinary yet totally human. His character swings from one end of the psychological spectrum to the other end. He has complex personality, a World War I veteran turned as a journalist, living in Paris. To the world, he is very self-control but breaks down easily when alone, plagued by self-doubt and fears of inadequacy. He is at home in the company of friends in the society where he belongs, but he sees himself as someone from the outside looking in. He is not alone, yet he is lonely. In describing his friends and events that he participates in, Jake implicitly reveal his thoughts and feelings to the reader. Before the novel actually began, there are some pieces Jake hasn’t revealed to the reader that forms Jake’s character. Even though, Jake doesn’t say so directly, he was a soldier in World War I who was wounded. As a result, he has lost the ability to have sex.
Jake’s narration is very subtle and implicated, making the reader to fully understand the true nature of Jake’s wound. “I looked at myself in the mirror of the big armoire beside the bed. That was a typically French way to furnish a room. Practical, too. I suppose. Of all the ways to be wounded” (30). Also shows the fact that Brett, the love of his life, refuses to enter a relationship with limits because of Jake’s problem. “Couldn’t we live together, Brett? Couldn’t we just live together?” (62). Brett goes on with excuses that she can’t be with Jake, being that she would spend most of her time with many guys than with Jake. She would also have to give up sex if she is together with Jake. It shows the reader that their relationship cannot work cause of Jake’s injury and Brett’s pleasure for sex. Despite all of this, he continues to love Brett and be available to her when she needs him and do