Apparently, Brett and Jake are madly in love. Except that Jake can't have sex, and Brett doesn't love him enough to give up on having sex forever. Love is a strange and terrifying concept. Anyway, Brett's fixation on sexual relations seems to be her own special way of coping with her life's lack of direction. She likes to run around and have lots of meaningless intercourse, and it makes her feel like her life has meaning, but in reality, she recognizes that this behavior isn't fulfilling at all, and in reality, she's "been so miserable" (p. 32). So this looks like another case of people trying to physically "move" away from their problems. First we had Cohn who wanted to move to South America, and then there was Jake who constantly hops from bar to bar, and now there's Brett who jumps from significant male other to the next. This sense of "movement" seems to be a recurring idea throughout the novel. That's a motif, yeah?...yeah. Furthermore, it appears that Brett's very presence seems to frustrate Jake, as is seen on page 38: "To hell with Brett. To hell with you, Lady Ashley." She seems to serve as a constant reminder to Jake that he just can't do the nasty like he once could.
Perhaps it's just the vicodin talking, but I really could not come up with a relevant picture.
Edit: I'm not actually a vicodin addict; I got my wisdom teeth pulled two days ago.
Your labels amuse me as much as the picture. Anywho, I think I missed Jake's... problem... the first time around. Also, that motif is an intriguing possibility. Also, I will vouch for your lack of wisdom teeth, although I haven't seen it myself.
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't say it outright, but I've decided that it makes the most sense, I think.
ReplyDelete...this makes the whole Brett and Jake thing make more sense...I had kinda thought the problem that they love each other but can't or won't be together was more because Brett didn't want to...um...settle down with one guy for the rest of her life...but then we find out she's planning on getting married so that ruins that theory
ReplyDelete...also that picture is completely random...=D
That really is a part of it. When we learn more about Brett's past at the end of the book, her behavior makes much more sense, particularly about why she never wants to settle down or not be in total control of a relationship. But still, you'd think that if she really loved Jake, she'd choose to marry him, and not this Mike fellow. Why marry anyone at all, if not Jake? It just keeps coming back to Jake's "problem."
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