Jake Barnes – a
pimp or a hopeless romantic?
People who experienced
World War I were not the same as they were before. They were lonely, empty with no energy to live. Human relationships were superficial with no deeper feelings and emotions. Ernest Hemingway in ` The Sun Also Rises` fully described that atmosphere. One of the characters, Jake Barnes, is a good example of a man lost in a postwar world who still remember
hard times that left in his mind and on his body immoveable marks.
Jake is a young American who works in a newspaper office. During the war he was injured and
becouse of it he is an impotent. Jake is interested in Brett who met in a hospital during the World War I. Unfotunately, he cannot have her becouse of his injury. We can
say that their relationship makes Jake unbelieving in his values. He is always at Brett`s beck and call. Jake loves her unconditionally. The fact that he is an impotent is not equal with the ascertainment that he is a worse man. According to me, it makes Jake a better man becouse in this situation he concentrates on his feelings and emotions.He does not say directly about his wound but there are many moments in the novel from which we can learn about it. He feels rather unsteadily as far as his manhood is concerned. Jake was called by Cohn Brett`s `pimp`and it was unpleasant moment for him. He was discribed so becouse of the fact that he wanted Romero to be his poxy as far as Brett is concerned. In this way Jake just `pimp` for Brett. Although Romero did not participate in the war he faces death every day in bullfighting so in Jake`s opinion he is a real man.
Jake and Brett cannot be lovers but they spend a lot of time with each other. It is hard for Jake becouse Brett`s presence is for him both enjoyable and painful. Another difficulty for Jake is that Brett often reminds him about his inability to have sex. The main problem for Jake is that he has to show that he is a true man though his handicap. It turns out to be really hard for Jake, especially when the love of his life reminds him about his impotence. Relationship between Jake and Brett is platonic and Jake is witnessing when many men appears in Brett`s life.
Generally speaking, we should not consider Jake Barnes as a `pimp` but rather as a hopeless romantic. He is a man with a large problem and nobody can help him. Jake tries to prove his manhood in many ways but it turns out very difficult to do. People who participated in the war had also many wounds or scars but they can be treated as a thing that we can be proud of. We cannot say the same about Jake`s injury which is the subject of ridicule.
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