Mind And Character Of Jake Barnes

12 Pages 3056 Words

him of his handicap and thus Jake is challenged as a man in the deepest, most personal sense possible. After the departure of their first meeting, Jake feels miserable: "This was Brett, that I had felt like crying about. Then I thought of her walking up the street and of course in a little while I felt like hell again" (Hemingway 34). Lady Brett Ashley serves as a challenge to a weakness that Jake must confront.
Since his war experience, Jake has attempted to reshape the man he is and the first step in doing this is to accept his impotence. Despite Brett’s undeniable love for Jake, she is engaged to marry another. Mike Campbell is Brett’s fiancee, her next planned marriage after two already failed ones. Mike is ridiculously in love with Brett and though she knows this she still decides to marry him. In fact, Brett is only to marry Mike because she is tired of drifting and simply needs an anchor. Mike loves Brett but is not dependent on her affection. Moreover, he knows about and accepts Brett’s brief affairs with other men: "‘Mark y...