Earlier in the book, we saw Jake and Bill leave behind their outward appearances and disappear in to the mountain to fish and relax while they waited for Brett and Mike to work their way to Spain through their slow trek. While they are there, we get to see Jake without the constant shadow of Brett looming over him. He mentions that he gets a good nights sleep, saying that he only once woke up (implying he was previously asleep) and remarked how it felt good to be in bed, while in Paris Jake knows the route of the midnight train from hearing it every night.
It seems that the lack of Brett on his mind is what allows him to be able to relax and sleep. While I think is true, I think also that it stems from what Brett stands for in Jake's life. Brett represents something that he can never have to himself, as has been mentioned in the past. Because of his accident we learn of at the beginning of the book, neither Brett nor Jake see him as an available lasting partner for her. He has to live with this idea and is reminded of it every time he is around her.
Brett also is not making it easier for him. In my period, it was never really decided whether Brett was more playing Jake for a fool or if she is just blindly making him feel bad. She shows up randomly at his home while he tries to ignore her, secretly goes to San Sebastian with his "friend" and even asks him to hook her up with a bullfighter, which is not only like salt in a wound, it would also potentially ruin his reputation as an aficionado of bullfighting.
It is clear that there are many reasons why Jake should just pull up stakes and escape Brett once and for all, but I think that there still is some actual connection between them. In the last chapter, when Jake meets up with Brett at the very end, there is not really a sense of malice or underlying heartbrokeness (?) in Jake's tone, just actual concern. This is also the only time that we see Brett not in the company of some other guy than Jake. It is not that he wants to be away from Brett, its that when she is surrounded by other things that serve as a constant reminder that she is unavailable to him, is when he can no longer stand being around her.
interesting post! I can definitely see where you're coming from - it's bad enough knowing that Jake can never be with Brett, but seeing her be with other men and even setting her up himself, is just rubbing salt in the wound. He was undoubtedly happiest when she was nowhere near him. But he still ends up going back to her when she reaches out to him, which shows how Brett is kind of a drug to him. He's better off without her, but he can't just kick her out of his life.
ReplyDeleteWhat I got out of the last scene in the novel was that when Jake and Brett are sitting close together in the backseat of a taxi cab, and Jake remarks "Isn't it pretty to think so?", Jake finally accepts that he can't be with Brett. He will no longer be bothered by Brett whenever she's on his mind, a state that is very different from the state Jake's in towards the beginning of the novel as you point out at the beginning of your post.
ReplyDelete