Who should Brett marry?
In The Sun Also Rises Brett seems to have a relationship with every man that she lays her eyes upon. Most of these relationships consist of some flirting and maybe sex. Out of all the characters in the book, the reader sees Brett interact with Jake, Cohn, and Mike the most. Here is the case for those three characters on why Brett should marry them.
Mike
Mike may seem like the obvious choice in this situation because Brett is already engaged to him. Mike also seem totally cool with Brett going around and talking to other men. This works out really well for Brett because she is someone who gets bored really easily if limited to one man. The one major problem with Mike is his money or lack of it. Mike is broke, and by the end of the book, Mike literally does not have any money. Brett is someone who likes to live extravagantly and not having money is a big issue. Mike is also terribly annoying when he is drunk, and as you very well know Brett drinks A LOT. Other than that Mike's loose concept of marriage fits well with Brett's feelings.
Cohn
Throughout the book, the reader often has sympathy with Robert Cohn. He is portrayed as the outcast in the very tight group of friends, and Jake thinks that he's a loser. On the other hand, Brett did go to San Sebastian with Cohn and they spent the weekend alone together. Robert Cohn is always there to protect Brett to the point that Brett has to ask him to give him some space. Robert Cohn is always ready to fight anyone that disrespects Brett, and he does everything to shield her honor. The problem with Cohn is that he takes his relationship too seriously, and is not good at reading hints from Brett to give her space. Cohn does not want to give Brett the space that she wants which could lead to problems in the future
Jake
Jake, Jake, Jake. I honestly feel bad for Jake. My English class compared Jake to a puppy who is always loyal to its owner (in this case Brett). Jake and Brett have a very strong emotional connection that started when she was his nurse at the hospital. Jake would do anything for Brett, even take the train to see her in a moments notice. Brett also seems to have strong emotions toward Jake, as we can see when she tells him how much she wished things would work out during both of their scenes in the cab. Brett can always count on Jake, and she often does. What's stopping their relationship from growing? Sex. Brett cannot survive without sex and Jake knows and accepts that. If it were not for Jake's sexual incompetence Jake and Brett would have long been together. Should Brett suck it up and still date Jake?
What are your thoughts? Who should Brett marry? Or should she just screw them all and stick with Lord Ashley? Or maybe she should be single? Leave your thoughts in the comments below :)
I think that Brett seems to want a loving and secure relationship albeit with enough space for herself. This is a difficult set of conditions to satisfy for most men (even for Jake whom Brett seems to hold in high regard, as he himself admits that he could be just as bad as Cohn given the chance). Cohn is definitely not a good choice because he can be overbearing and overprotective. I wonder if Count would have been a good choice for Brett, had he been in the mood for a relationship - he has financial stability, seems to enjoy Brett’s company, drives her wherever she wants to go and does not appear to be jealous when Brett parties with others.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Brett will ever marry- her character doesn't seem like the type who would ever settle down with a partner and have a family. Can you picture Brett buying a house, raising kids, doing her taxes? An open marriage may be an attractive solution at first, but then you realize that Brett's already gone through several marriages and so she has no commitment at all. I can still see Brett reneging on an open marriage like she has with Ashley and even Mike.
ReplyDeleteThen again, I think the possibility of Brett having an open relationship with Jake and seeing other people at the same time is decent; Jake provides her with emotional support while other men may provide her with physical support. We see that Brett and Jake both have emotional attachments to each other, and we also know that Jake will probably be fine with an open marriage because he's okay with Mike and the Count and others who Brett has been with. But you have to wonder, what does Brett really give Jake besides emotion? A symbol of his lack of masculinity? An open marriage only benefits Brett and not Jake.
I think the two most likely possibilities are her being single and maybe Jake marrying Brett.
I love how you turn this ultra-dysfunctional, neurotic modernist love story into a Jane Austen plot. What about asking, *should* Brett marry (again) at all? What does marriage hold for her, and why should she do it? In a sense, she already *has* a long-term, committed, pretty intimate friendship with Jake, and she seems to value her marriages beneath this one friendship. There's no official label for what she and Jake have, but this novel is pretty skeptical of all such pre-war standards and traditions--it's safe to say that Brett doesn't take traditional marriage very seriously. Why should she marry any of these clowns? (Other than financial need, of course, which has nothing to do with love.)
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