Brett's Influence Over Jake's Nattation

O'Sullivan, Sibbie. "Love and Friendship/Man and Woman in The Sun Also Rises". Ernest Hemingway Seven Decades of Criticism. Ed. Linda Wagner-Martin. East Lansing: Michigan State UP, 1998. 61-79. Print.

O’Sullivan’s article emphasizes the relationship between Jake Barnes and Brett Ashley. She brings attention to the significance that Brett has on Jake’s daily life and behaviors. She offers the perspective that these feelings Jake has are subconsciously expressed in Jake’s narrative technique due to his deep adoration and love of Brett Ashley.In this article, O’Sullivan wants people to keep in mind how strong the power of love can be. She reminds the reader several times that women such as Brett have profound effects on narrators and authors alike. Her point of view is one with a deep and profound beliefe in love as the ultimate power force.

O’Sullivan writes, “They are in love with each other but because of Jake’s wound that love cannot be sexually fulfilled. They have tried making love but failed: ‘I don’t want to go through that hell again’ (26). ‘Love is hell on earth,’ but they continue to see each other. There is a sense of things being out of control; at the end of the taxi ride Brett is shaky, and later when Jake returns alone to his apartment he cries himself to sleep. When Jake leaves, Brett is at another bar in the company of another man.” This statement draws a connection between Brett and her influence on Jake as a narrator. Several times throughout the novel, Jake repeats himself when speaking of Brett Ashley, the most notable of which occurs when he is “damning” her. Brett, like the sun, comes and goes like clockwork. It is as if her presence is the light in Jake’s life and the night (or the darkness) is when she leaves again. It is no coincidence that the plot begins with her presence at the dance, goes dormant when she goes out of town to San Sebastian (as evidenced by part II in the book), and then picks up again with her arrival in Pamplona. When Brett is around, Jake feels alive and awake, with her absence though, Jake takes a considerably different tone.O’Sullivan also points out that both Brett and Jake have deviated from typical sex and gender roles. Brett seeks out and enjoys the freedom to sleep with whomever she pleases, while Jake craves monogamy and stability. This is significant because it allows for thought as to a possible motive for Jakes technique. Is Jake trying to prove or explain his manhood through the text? Is his wording and the way in which he shares his experiences designed to make him appear more masculine than he really is? O’Sullivan makes a valid point that Jake’s narrative technique is altered and influenced by Brett because the connection the pseudo lovers have is overwhelming. She also wants to reveal that Jake cannot help but consider the feelings of the woman he loves while writing, thus his technique is changed in order to please Brett.