One thing from Book I that really interested me was the relationship between Jake and Robert Cohn. The book begins with a long description of Cohn, which I wondered the significance of to the story. I'm curious to see how their friendship will play out in the rest of the book, seeing as Cohn seems to be more invested in it than Jake is. Jake tears Cohn down a lot, which is seen through his thoughts and dialogue with Cohn, especially when Jake refuses to go to South America with Cohn. I'm interesting to see the role Jake will play in the rest of the book, and the trajectory of their friendship as the story progresses.
One part of the reading that stuck out to me was the long description of the bull-fighting. Bill, Michael, Jake, Brett, and Robert talk specifically about the steer in the arena a lot during the fight. I feel like the attention Hemingway puts on the steer is an important symbol. I hope that I can fully understand the meaning when we look closer into it. On page 146, Mike makes fun of Robert by comparing him to a steer. He says that Robert acts like a steer when he follows Brett around every day. I find this comment interesting because it is a moment of tension between Mike and Robert. Mike confronts Robert in a pretty frank tone which shifts the mood of the book. So far, there has definitely been a tense vibe to the story, but this is the first time where a character confronts another one about Brett. I did not think that Michael would be the first person to confront Robert about liking Brett so this narrative caught me off guard. The story is picking up pace and I am excited to see where the relationship between Mike, Robert, and Brett goes from here. Another part of this reading that I loved was when Bill and Jake met Harris in Burguete. Harris was such a happy character who added a lot to their experience on the trip. I personally think that his presence was important because it shows a contrast between the calming life on the fishing trip versus the uptight life at home where everyone is trying to win over Brett. I wonder if Harris will impact the story anymore or if he only crosses paths with Bill and Jake on the trip.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I noticed how in chapter 14, Jake describes the town as "fresh", "cool", and "healthy", right before the fiesta day, which foreshadows the fiesta in a negative light. Next, during the religious part of the ceremony, I noted the continuance of the church motif throughout the book. As Jake enters the church, he sees that Brett can't bring herself to enter the doorways because she "didn't have the right hat". Throughout the book, there have been multiple scene involving churches that reflect the sins inside the characters, and this scene mirrors that reflection of sin inside Brett. After the bull-fight, Jake describes a "disgusting" feeling he leaves the fights, and he subsequently treats this feeling with a absinthe (symbolically different than just drinking wine). He uses the absinthe to numb the gore he just witnessed. Because the bull fights are linked to not only the wars of the lost generation, but also the war the chaps are involved in for Brett, and this "feeling" paired with drinking becomes a strong motif throughout the book. Finally, I didn't quite understand the significance of Pedro Romero- especially when Jake is showing Brett all of his techniques in the ring when he says, "I got her watching... so that she saw what it was all about, so that it became more something that was going on with a definite end, and less of a spectacle with unexplained horrors" (172).
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