"'We could have had such a damned good time together.'...'Yes, isn't it pretty to think so?" (p. 251). These are the last lines of the novel, and are therefore probably important. There was also something about bicycling and a beach somewhere in this chapter, but I don't get that. I get this though. Okay, so Brett is utterly delusional. She has idealized the only relationship that she can't have literally to the point that she can't see herself living any other way. Her thought process appears to progress thusly: "All the relationships I've pursued have ended in disaster, I cannot pursue a relationship with Jake, therefore, only a relationship with Jake will not end in disaster." I'd put down about a 98% chance that even if Jake didn't get his tallywacker blown off, the Brett-Jake duo would have ended exactly the same way as all the other relationships in this novel: everyone gets mad and intoxicated, not necessarily in that order. But Brett has idealized it to the point that she really believes that no matter what, if things could have worked out, everything would have been sunshine and rainbow-spewing pandas. However, I like to think that things worked out for the best because they can't make the sticky. All the other relationships that have been based on sex have fallen apart, but Brett and Jake, whose relationship seems to be based purely on unconditional love, as opposed to lust, has held together all the way through the end of the book. I think Jake's mildly cynical response shows that he recognizes this and can at least appreciate an eternal existence in The Friend Zone.
Friday, August 13, 2010
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Yeah, Brett's insistence on idealizing a relationship with Jake, when it is fairly obvious that any relationship Brett is in will be a toxic one, is rather aggravating. It seems that at the very end, nothing has changed.
ReplyDeleteHowever, something HAS changed. I thought nothing changed too! Then Costello commented on my blog saying, "You didn't notice a change?" I can still honestly say no, but apparently it's out there somewhere....
ReplyDeleteA guy died on page 200. That's a significant change.
ReplyDeleteWho died on page 200??
ReplyDeleteOh. Page number. I can look that up.
That was a really long paragraph. I think I didn't notice it the first time. =\