Jake's Sarcastic Ending Dialogue

    Jake is the main character of The Sun Also Rises, and he's also a very interesting character, too. I particularly find his relationship with Brett to also be very interesting and unique. Jake and Brett's relationship is more emotional than it is romantic. We have Brett, who I think is a very interesting lady, who has a lot of men whom she likes and likes her back, and we have Jake, who seems to never fail to support Brett and help her in her times of trouble. While they are more attached emotionally, we do see them be romantically attached to one another, as we see them hug and kiss multiple times. But going back to Jake being an interesting character, he also seems to display a fair share of sarcasm and satire in this book. The best way to observe this sarcasm and satire is by looking at the context; otherwise, it's very hard to tell whether or not he is being sarcastic.

    In the last line of the book, we see Jake and Brett together, and Brett says that they "could have had such a damned good time together," to which Jake responds, "Yes, isn't it pretty to think so?" Now, some people could read the last line of the book and think that Jake was being sarcastic, and other people could read the last line of the book and think that he was being genuine. Again, this is why context is key. Before getting on the taxi (which is where Brett and Jake were when they exchanged those words), Brett and Jake were having a meal at Botin's, and Jake drank three bottles of rioja alta, a brand of wine. and after doing that, Brett and Jake were having a conversation, and at times, Jake's dialogue is a little bit cynical. You can see him asking Brett twice if she wants dessert, even though she said she didn't want it once. You also see him say twice that he likes to do a lot of things. You also see him ask her twice if she wants to go for a ride around town. "'Want to go for a ride?' I said. 'Want to ride through the town?'" (Hemingway 250) His repetition may partially be due to the fact that he was drunk when he said this (as he did drink three full bottles of wine), or it could be because he was being sarcastic in him being drunk. And then, the book ends with him saying to Brett, in response to Brett, "isn't it pretty to think so?" It's very possible that Jake could be being sarcastic in him saying that, or he could be being legitimate.

    Let's first think about why he could be being legitimate. Again, context is crucial for figuring out whether a character is being sarcastic or legitimate. Before any of the dialogue between Brett and Jake is exchanged when they're in the taxi, we see what they are doing in the taxi car. "I settled back. Brett moved close to me. We sat close against each other. I put my arm around her and she rested against me comfortably." (Hemingway 251) As seen in the text, Jake put his arm around Brett, and they were comfortable together. Now, it's important to note that while this is happening, Jake is still drunk. And while Jake being drunk is obviously going to affect the way he thinks and says things, Jake does genuinely care about Brett and genuinely wanted to spend time with Brett. Because if you go back even further, you'll notice that it was Jake who requested to go on a taxi ride, not Brett.

    But now, let's also focus on why could be being sarcastic or cynical. Again, Jake is drunk, and after seeing Brett's personality over the trip, and realizing how much Brett was really taking advantage of Jake and doesn't really care for Jake as much as Jake does for her, he might be saying this out of sarcasm or cynicism. Part of the reason why Brett doesn't feel the same feelings for Jake as he does for Brett is because of Jake's severe injury from the war, and because she is more physically attracted to other men besides Jake, as she knows that they can fulfill her sexual pleasures while Jake can't. Once again, Jake probably realizes that Brett doesn't truly love Jake, and only likes Jake around, because he can support her well emotionally.

    Jake's sarcasm at the end may be a culmination of the sarcastic nature of Jake throughout the book that may have been cultivated through his conversation with Bill in chapter 12 when he was telling him about being ironic. "'And you claim you want to be a writer, too. You're only a newspaper man. An expatriated newspaper man. You ought to be ironical the minute you get out of bed. You ought to wake up with your mouth full of pity.'" (Hemingway 119) Perhaps his short dialogue with Brett at the very end of the book was him exercising his mouth to be "full of pity." After all, they were reminiscing over the time they spent in Spain, and they were thinking about what it could've been and how it could've gone.