Cohn gets this idea after he has read the book The Purple Land. Mellette discusses that Cohn, after having read the book, turns to escapism and romantic ideals. Cohn goes to Jake to ask him to go to South America with him offering to pay for both. Cohn claims that he has always wanted to go on a trip to South America and feels like his life is going too fast and that he is not living it fully. Jake understands that Cohn wants to go away to get away from himself, but Jake insists that “going to another country doesn’t make any difference. I’ve tried all that. You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.” (my underlining). This suggests that Jake has tried exactly what Cohn is trying to do and is trying to talk Cohn out of it, because it will not help him. Cohn feels like something must happen to him and claims that he does not like Paris anymore. Mellette suggests that Cohn “is unwilling to analyze his state of unhappiness beyond his platitudinous conclusion that “something” needs to happen to him.” Going to another country will just mean a change in scenery and because Cohn does not have a purpose with the travel to South America, that is what will happen to
Cohn gets this idea after he has read the book The Purple Land. Mellette discusses that Cohn, after having read the book, turns to escapism and romantic ideals. Cohn goes to Jake to ask him to go to South America with him offering to pay for both. Cohn claims that he has always wanted to go on a trip to South America and feels like his life is going too fast and that he is not living it fully. Jake understands that Cohn wants to go away to get away from himself, but Jake insists that “going to another country doesn’t make any difference. I’ve tried all that. You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.” (my underlining). This suggests that Jake has tried exactly what Cohn is trying to do and is trying to talk Cohn out of it, because it will not help him. Cohn feels like something must happen to him and claims that he does not like Paris anymore. Mellette suggests that Cohn “is unwilling to analyze his state of unhappiness beyond his platitudinous conclusion that “something” needs to happen to him.” Going to another country will just mean a change in scenery and because Cohn does not have a purpose with the travel to South America, that is what will happen to