I am very excited that they are finally in Spain. Jake was describing the landscape, the road, the town, and the food. I find this very interesting because I will be experiencing the same things in 5 days. I am going to be leaving for Spain for seven weeks on Sunday. This is going to be really cool because I can experience the same things Jake, Bill, and Robert experienced when they stopped in the town.
Now since they are in Spain, local color will be used and they will be speaking Spanish and using Spanish words throughout their dialogue. I will be able to understand the phrases they say since they are in Spanish and I speak it. Like when Jake was describing that "every town had a pelota court" (pg 97) I knew that that meant a ball court, like tennis. I think the rest of the novel is going to be even more interesting.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Imagery
The imagery in chapter 9 really add detail to the trip Jake and Bill Gordon are taking to Spain. Jake describes what they see, what the waiter is like, and how they feel about the group of Pilgrims taking up the dining cars. It seems that the landscapes they see out their window is very beautiful. For example, Jake discribes the country as "sandy pine country filled with heather" (pg 94). The author didn't specify if they were still in France or Spain but I am willing to bet that they are in France because of the town names, like Bordeaux. I am interested to see what will happen in Spain with Brett, Robert, Mike, and Jake there together. Robert is still in love with Brett and so is Jake. This should end up being an interesting trip.
Finally Meeting Mike
In Chapter IX, we are finally introduced to Mike. I was wondering when he was going to show up in the text. He seems very attracted to Brett and very much in love with her. "Isn't she a lovely piece?" he kept repeating toward the end of the chapter. This epistrophe puts emphasis on the fact that he is proud that she is the woman he is going to marry.
I think that Mike is the antagonist who is blocking Jake, the protagonist, from being with Brett. Jake is so much in love with Brett that it hurts him to be around the two of them. I was surprised at how well Jake handled see Brett and Mike together. Instead of showing his emotion, he kept it buried inside of him. I think he will end up crying again when he gets home where there is no one to hide his emotions from.
I think that Mike is the antagonist who is blocking Jake, the protagonist, from being with Brett. Jake is so much in love with Brett that it hurts him to be around the two of them. I was surprised at how well Jake handled see Brett and Mike together. Instead of showing his emotion, he kept it buried inside of him. I think he will end up crying again when he gets home where there is no one to hide his emotions from.
Jake
To me, Jake seems like an entirely different person at this point in the book than when he was at the beginning. We now have a glimpse into his life and his personality. At first, I thought he was a guy who had everything going for him. He had a great career, he had many friends, and he seemed to have money. Although these are nice aspects of life, they are not everything. He was missing a family and company. Then I found out about Brett. She was charming, bold, and did what she want. She was absolutely the foil character of Jake. While she was lively, he was at times quiet and empty. The count even commented on Brett's character: "She is the only lady I have ever known who was as charming when she was drunk as when she was sober" (pg 66). Brett seems like the type of person who people were drawn too.
Although Brett seems like a good enough person, I don't like how she is torturing Jake. She knows that he is hopefully in love with her and she still encourages his affection, yet she is going to get married to another man. Then she says she is leaving as soon as possible and says "I won't see you again" (pg 71) to Jake. I think this will only cause more problems for them and make Jake more miserable.
Although Brett seems like a good enough person, I don't like how she is torturing Jake. She knows that he is hopefully in love with her and she still encourages his affection, yet she is going to get married to another man. Then she says she is leaving as soon as possible and says "I won't see you again" (pg 71) to Jake. I think this will only cause more problems for them and make Jake more miserable.
External Conflict
Chapter 6 starts off with Jake having a drink with Harvey Stone. Then Robert comes to join them, and later so does Frances. In this chapter, the author uses direct characterization to describe the true character of Robert. We find out how he dresses, what he looks like, and how he acts like after he has fallen in love with Brett. Since this novel is in the first person point of view, Jake is the one describing Robert.
When Frances tells Jake that she thinks Robert is going to leave her, I was not surprised. Robert was already married and divorced twice so what is going to stop him from leaving the woman who is only his girlfriend?
Frances then goes into a rant that completely rips through Robert and his reasons for why he want to leave her. I found her speech very interesting and entertaining. I thought it was great how she could say whatever she felt like saying to him to make Robert feel really bad. Her use of rhetorical questions added emphasis to her argument and made Robert feel even worse. If he were to answer one of those questions, she would have gone off even more. For example, she said "You won't mind, will you?" (pg 57). If Robert were to answer that question, she would have either kept going as she was, or kept going but as even more angry. Her rant eventually made Jake walk away and leave them.
When Frances tells Jake that she thinks Robert is going to leave her, I was not surprised. Robert was already married and divorced twice so what is going to stop him from leaving the woman who is only his girlfriend?
Frances then goes into a rant that completely rips through Robert and his reasons for why he want to leave her. I found her speech very interesting and entertaining. I thought it was great how she could say whatever she felt like saying to him to make Robert feel really bad. Her use of rhetorical questions added emphasis to her argument and made Robert feel even worse. If he were to answer one of those questions, she would have gone off even more. For example, she said "You won't mind, will you?" (pg 57). If Robert were to answer that question, she would have either kept going as she was, or kept going but as even more angry. Her rant eventually made Jake walk away and leave them.
Lady Brett Ashley
Jake is in love with Lady Brett Ashley and she is in love with him. The only problem with this is that Brett is "getting a divorce and she's going to marry Mike Campbell" (pg 46). This is why Jake is so depressed: he's in love with someone who he can never have. This whole situation causes a big internal conflict for Jake.
What also makes this situation so messed up is that Cohn has formed an interest in Brett. When he asks Jake about Brett, he tells him how they met and what she is like. I thought that was a good way to tell the audience about the woman Jake is in love with. Instead of just flat out stating facts about her, the author incorporated it into a conversation between two characters. It made the novel more intriguing and I am anxious to keep reading to see what will happen between Jake and Brett.
What also makes this situation so messed up is that Cohn has formed an interest in Brett. When he asks Jake about Brett, he tells him how they met and what she is like. I thought that was a good way to tell the audience about the woman Jake is in love with. Instead of just flat out stating facts about her, the author incorporated it into a conversation between two characters. It made the novel more intriguing and I am anxious to keep reading to see what will happen between Jake and Brett.
Indirect Characterization
Jacob Barnes is not the "cool cat" everybody thinks he is. He is obviously bothered by his wound from the war and is troubled with his relationship with Brett. He says "it is awfully easy to be hard-boiled abut everything in the daytime, but at night it is another thing" (pg 42). Jake seems a little bit depressed about some aspects of his life. He is obviously in love with Brett, but then he says "to hell with Brett" (pg 38). I think he is having a hard time trying to get back into ordinary life after serving in the war. He acts like there is nothing wrong with him, so his friends don't ask. At the beginning of the novel, Jake was the one giving advice to Robert about going to Africa instead of South America and trying to do activities on his own. Jake should be the one getting advice not giving it. His night starts with him sitting alone at a restaurant having a drink. He invited Georgette to sit with him because it had been a while since he had shared the company with another person, one on one. Jake is lonely and not happy with his life. Although he's in love with Brett, it seems like he is still missing something, like he is still empty inside.
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