Jake Barnes: Relatable NOT Likable

            In The Sun Also Rises Jake Barnes’s charcter has a fascinating personality. It seems very relatable at times in the way he speaks to others and the thoughts he has. However, Jake is also not always particularly likeable. His thoughts are like the devil on your shoulder- that voice in the back of your mind that you try to push away. Like the jealousy he feels when he sees Brett enjoying herself with other people. He seems sarcastic a lot of the time, which I think most of us teenagers can identify with. In his thoughts he has snarky responses that he also tends to vocalize. Such as his analysis of the company Brett arrives to the club with when he says “It’s a fine crowd you’re with, Brett.” It is clearly meant to be ready as a teasing insult.

Jake seems to crave company and a certain kind of attention that isn’t always readily available to him. This can be seen in the way he gladly accepts Georgette’s, a prostitute’s, company. However, he seems to only want her there as someone to be near and talk to. He didn’t want to use her for any purpose other than someone to share a meal with. I believe most people have gotten to a point where they seek attention in any form, whether a stranger or a friend. Also, after spending so much time with Georgette he realizes that the whole affair was rather dull and not really worth the trouble. I think that his reaction post-“date” is also a feeling many people have had. I’ve personally gone out many times in a n attempt to relieve boredom or loneliness and found that it didn’t help anything, or even made the feeling worse. Jake’s experiences so far aren’t grand and spectacular, instead they are common and easy to understand and imagine going through.

            Jake interacts with his friends much like I do with mine. He uses insults as a form of affection or joke. Like when he went out to lunch with Robert Cohn he tells him to “go to hell.” Robert gets offended and Jake has to clarify that he never means it when he says things like that. He also says to Robert “tell her to go to hell” (it seems to be a favorite phrase of his) after Robert tells him that Frances wouldn’t enjoy travelling with him. This is very similar to something commonly said in the modern day when a friend confides to another about problems with their significant other after which they’ll respond “leave them” or “screw them.”

            Overall, Jake Barnes has moments of great relatability but they are often shrouded in thoughts that most people would try to push away and take back. As relatable as he can be he is not likable. He seems rude, like a fake friend- especially to Robert Cohn as he often disregards his accomplishments. Jake also has homophobic, anti-Semitic, sexist, and racist tendencies. As shown through his intense anger at the group of gay men, his disrespect towards Robert’s jewish background, objectification of Brett, and the caricature he describes the black drummer with “all teeth and lips.”